Who am I?
by NightWrighter511
Summary: Max Martinez is seventeen and has a good life. A loving family and friends, star track athlete, what could be missing? When the new kid starts prying into Max's life things go downhill as secrets are revealed. Her Mom and Dad aren't really her parents.FAX
1. Chapter 1

_Summary: Not all childhoods are perfect. In fact, if you think yours was, there's probably a big lie hidden somewhere in there. Max Martinez is seventeen and loving life. Sure school isn't the most exciting thing-not much in her life is-but she has a loving family and great friends. But when Nick, the annoying new kid, starts prying into Max's life things go downhill as everything she has ever been confident in is revealed as a lie. The people who she's been calling Mom and Dad he whole life aren't really her parents. What does that make her? _Who_ does that make her? Max decides to find out for herself. _

**-Prologue**

She ran through the forest, ignoring the sharp pain that pricked her feet with ever bare footed step and every sting of the bramble and thorns that her torn skin encountered. Her breathing was labored, every breath sent fire searing through her lungs yet she spurred herself forward, trying desperately to evade her pursuers.

She felt the panic inside of her surge as she heard the ever present sounds of pursuit growing closer. Her already queasy stomach tightened in knots at the mere thought of her trackers reaching her.

She clutched the squirming bundle in her arms closer to her chest. She knew it would be easier to leave the bundle, the use of her arms would improve her impaired balance monumentally, but she couldn't. Not after all she'd gone through to get it this far.

She saw the faint haze of lights in the distance and they ignited a spark of hope in her heart. She had no idea where she was exactly, somewhere in Montana. Not far enough away from _them _but it would have to do. The vegetation started to taper from the thick trunked deciduous trees to shrubs and young saplings. The sound of snapping saplings rang loudly in her ears, only trifled by the ragged sound of her own breathing.

With a final scraping of her shins she broke through the confines of the forest. Her feet encountered a cold albeit slippery surface and her first thought was relief that she was no longer subjected to the harsh terrain of the forest. However, the relief was short lived as she slipped on what she now recognized as dew laden grass. Her despair crept like dark tendrils through her veins as she was forced to stop to regain her balance.

The sound of baying hounds suddenly ripped through the night air, uncomfortably close behind her. She knew that they weren't ordinary dogs. They were Erasers; half human half lupine hybrids, chasing her from her personal hell all of these hundreds of miles away. The epitome of what she was trying to escape. What _they _were trying to escape. The child in her arms squalled as she grew impatient. She'd be hungry, it had been a few hours since the newborn girl had been fed but she could do nothing about that right now.

The paw falls grew closer, the shouting louder. Her head whipped from side to side in jerked motions, much like what she assumed she would look like if she was being controlled by a marionette. The haze of light she had registered earlier was now a brightly lit halo surrounding a large home, a mansion really, on the top of the hillcrest. Without hesitation she headed towards the warmly lit home, her tired legs crying in protest as she braved the steep hill. Every two steps forward rewarded her with a small slid backwards on the grasses moist surface. Agitation leaked into her as she bit her bottom lip and pressed forward. At last she came to the wooden veranda of the house. She wanted nothing more than to sink onto its surface, or perhaps one of the many lounge chairs that adorned it, but the cry of the baby in her arms as well as the yelping of the Erasers were a constant reminder that she was not out of danger yet. Far from it in fact.

If the Erasers caught her…well she'd simply die. But if the Erasers caught the child! Oh they'd bring her back. Back to her parents and that evil place. She couldn't allow that. She couldn't allow an innocent child to be exposed to that when she had no chance to object.

The woman carefully set the bundled child onto the welcome mat at the base of the double glass plated doors. She knocked three sharp raps before darting around the corner of the house, cloaking herself in the shadows.

She listened tersely as locks grated against one another and the door opened.

"Oh my god!" a woman's voice exclaimed as she took in the sight of the crying infant. "Oh sweet baby girl who left you here?" The voice asked. The exhausted woman chanced a look around the corner and saw a silhouette, backed up against the warm yellow light of the home, reach down and pick the child up. The sound of soft words of comfort drifted to her and as she watched the shadow turned and search the vicinity for any signs of the baby's guardian. Finding none she sighed and whispered to the child.

"Let's get you inside."

And with that the child was gone, the light from the home's interior cut off by the doors closing.

The woman had no time for tears, only relief, as her begrudging legs once again carried her across the lawn, hoping to draw her pursuers away from the child.

It worked.

She heard the footsteps follow her as she slipped and slid down the incline and into a neighboring backyard.

Then another.

And another.

She ran through backyards, the Erasers gaining on her. They were so close she could practically smell their rancid breath, feel them breathing down her neck.

She burst out of a backyard and onto the shoulder of a sparsely lit two lane street.

Headlights were barreling down the road at an alarming rate.

The hunting party was so close and she knew without looking that satanic smiles stretched across their elongated snouts as they realized that they had her cornered.

Indecision flashed through her mind for a mere second before she pitched herself out onto the road.

There was no doubt in her mind that she preferred it this way. She'd rather die from a car accident than an Eraser attack. Or worse yet, be brought back to that place, so _they _could deal with her.

Cries of frustration and anger rang behind her and a smile twisted her lips knowing that she had the final say in her story.

Just before the car hit her she thought: At least the baby would be okay. _At least Maximum Ride would survive._

…..

**Chapter 1: **

_Seventeen Years Later_

All our lives we, as children, have been taught to admire the person who has raised us. A baby's first word is always "Mama," or "Dada," hell there's even a holiday to celebrate and commemorate those two special people in our lives.

So what happens when those two people you know as Mom and Dad have lied to you your whole life? What happens when, suddenly, those two people are strangers?

Because you've found out the truth.

That they _aren't _your parents.

What happens then?

Well, that's just the problem. I didn't know.

….

"Aaaannnnnddddd…..TIME!" the coach called as I rounded my final lap on the track. My feet pounded the shock absorbent pavement as I slowed down to a walk. "Five minutes twenty three seconds Martinez, good job! Hit the showers!"

I have a feeling he's waited his whole life to say that line. None the less I turned and headed off through the dry Montana heat and into the locker rooms that smelt like a combination of socks and perfume.

Coach was pretty cool once you got past his cheesy comments which I couldn't really nitpick on because I liked to use clichés of my own. He was one of the few adults that treated me like a human being around here, and not just a way to suck up to my parents.

Juan and Valencia Martinez were huge benefactors to the Lerner School for Gifted Children, which was just a fancy name for a stuck up private school decked out with uniforms and everything. The faculty members were always sucking up to me, hoping to get more money from my parents. I think their minds worked a little like this: make Max Martinez like science and _bam! _The science department gets more money.

Not happening. Science, quite frankly, gives me the heebie jeebies. And math and spelling? Pfff, forget it. Really, I'm an average student except for gym. Athletics are where I excel. Sitting in class all day listening to teachers ramble on about what someone else did makes me itch, I'd much rather be out there experiencing things first hand. Including breaking the record for fastest mile in the school's history. I did that freshman year. Now I'm a senior and star track athlete in the county, hell the state probably.

As I hurried into the locker room I estimated that I had about five minutes to myself before the other girls finished the mile. I took advantage of it, quickly showering and getting dressed by the time the rest of the school pricks joined me.

I absolutely loathed my school uniform; it made me look like Barbie playing dress up in my knee high navy socks, red plaid skirt and navy blazer. The only testimony to my individuality were my white three quarter sleeved shirt that I'd used in substitute for the classic gender neutral button downs, and my braded bracelet.

I left the locker room and headed towards coaches office. I had to turn in my permission slip for the track meet next week. We were driving to Missoula to take part in a track and field competition. Missoula was an hour away from where I lived in Philipsburg and the school was supplying a bus for me and my teammates. I was up for anything that got me out of school.

I knocked on the door that read 'Coach Paul Whitfield' before I let myself in.

"Hey Martinez, how's it going?" He asked as he leaned back precariously in his chair. Paul Whitfield was about six-two, fit, tan, and a true cowboy. Whenever he wasn't constrained by the school's employee uniform he wore button down shirts, washed out jeans, and cowboy boots. Hell, I'd once caught him with a cowboy hat too.

"The usual." I replied. "Just me in my plight for world domination and all that goes along with it."

"Well I think the only thing we'd have trouble with in Dictator Max's world would be finding enough cookies to placate your demand." He chuckled.

I gave him an offended look before morphing it into a hopeful one. "I don't suppose your wife baked me any, did she?" Amy Whitfield was twenty nine years old, like her husband, and was an amazing baker. Her chocolate chip cookies were to die for!

He shook his head. "I told her not to until we win the competition next week. Just think of it as an incentive." He winked.

"Evil bastard." I stuck my tongue at him and he chuckled.

"What brings you to my humble abode today, Maxie?" he taunted, leaning further back.

"The only thing humble about your _abode _is the smell, Pauly." I said with mirth.

"_That _my dear is the smell of success."

"And some god awful BO." I rolled my eyes. I loved my witty banter with Coach, he was one of the only people, aside from Nudge and Iggy, who understood that I meant nothing offensive; I was just having a good time.

"If you hate it so much then why did you come?" He asked, becoming serious as the bell rang in the background, signaling the end of the day. Teachers were just as eager to leave this hell hole as the students.

I pulled my permission slip from my messenger bag and slid it across the desk to him. His chair landed on all fours with a _thump _as he read it over.

"Cutting it kind of close here, Max. Another day and I'd have been forced to leave you." Coach attempts for a serious voice but fails as relief trickles through.

"You know me, I live on the edge." I smirked. That and I'd totally forgotten about the permission form until this morning when I'd had Mom sign it as she walked out the door. "Well, if we're done here I'm busting out of this prison. Hasta luego Pablo."

"See ya kid!"

I sighed and hitched my messenger bag over my shoulder before making my way off of the school's campus. The Lerner School for Gifted Children was situated on ten acres of prime grassy land. I kid you not the school looked like a castle and it even had a prestigious gate at the front to 'keep out the rift raft'. I headed down the grassy lawn and to the side road that led towards my development. It took only ten minutes to walk from the school to my house but in the April heat it felt like miles.

As I walked I couldn't help but grimace at the sight around me. What started out as modest homes transformed into huge multimillion dollar mansions in the blink of an eye.

Honestly, I'd rather be living in the modest family homes, you and your family are closer together and get a sense of love and family. In my home we had four people living in a three story home. Hardly the close family I craved, but my parents and sister, Ella, were loving.

I continued walking up to the apogee of the hill where my house resided. It had a demanding presence from a distance that grew with its size as you approached. Constructed entirely of brick the exterior spread over the hilltop and crested in several peaks on the roof. The house faced east and its multiple windows allowed for maximum natural light in the mornings

A U shaped driveway lead up to the house and the two BMW's sitting in the driveway signaled my parents' presence. My own car, a 2005 Jeep Liberty, sat concealed in the garage. It made no sense to drive to school when it was just as easy to walk.

I cut across the perfectly manicured lawn and towards the front of the house.

"¡Mamá! ¡Papá!" I called as I slipped inside the double mahogany glass plated doors. "I'm home!"

"How was school?" Mom called back from the kitchen. "Did your coach let you turn in your permission slip?" I headed down the hall my shoes sliding on the freshly waxed hardwood floors as I made my way to the living room. The walls were a dark yellow that was offset nicely by the dark woods that flowed throughout the home and the furniture was black and artfully arranged around the room. Pieces of modern art adorned the walls as well as family photos. I tossed my messenger bag onto the floor and flopped onto the couch.

"Yeah," I called back, kicking off my shoes and making myself comfortable, feet propped up on the glass and ironwork coffee table in front of me. I picked up the remote and turned CNN on the plasma television that was in its own entertainment center across from me.

My twelve year old sister Ella suddenly shot past me, sliding over the waxed floors in her socks. She waved as she passed, her curly black hair flowing behind her like ribbon in the wind. We looked nothing alike. She was short, brown, and dark haired like my parents, and I was tall, blond, and my skin was only slightly bronzed by the sun. In fact, the only attribute I shared with my family were my eyes. Everyone said that I had my mother's eyes, a pretty milk chocolate color. To be honest, I thought hers were prettier.

As I watched Ella continued to slide at an impressive speed over the floors. That is, until her foot caught the corner of moms prized Persian carpet and she was sent stumbling into the kitchen, arms pin wheeling as she tried to regain her balance. There was an echoing _crash _followed by Ella's cry of surprise and pain and my mother's cry of dismay.

I was off the couch before the clanking finished. I whipped around the corner that separated the kitchen and the living room and froze.

Then I busted up laughing at the sight before me.

The kitchen itself was a cranberry color with dark cabinets, granite countertops, and stainless steel appliances. The counters were bare aside from the stove where pots and pans and cooking ingredients were laid out.

Ella sat, legs sprawled, on the kitchen floor covered from head to toe in what looked like broccoli casserole while mom scrambled to clean it up.

"Ella!" she cried out as she worked "What were you thinking?" Ella, on the other hand, was too busy glaring at me to pay attention.

"It's not funny, Max." she groaned, trying to stand up but falling back flat on her butt from a mixture of slippery floors and slimy casserole.

"You wouldn't be saying that if it were me." I chortled as I offered her a hand up.

Just then dad came around the corner and froze, surveying the damage. He'd probably been in his office and hadn't heard the crash, or so said his look of surprise.

"Girls," he said slowly.

"Yeah, Dad?" We said in unison.

"What's going on?"

"Just…trying out a new look." Ella said, running her hands through her hair, effectively worsening the already tangled mess.

Dad nodded then spun on his heel and headed back to his office, muttering something about crazy pre-teen years that left us all laughing.

"Ella, go get cleaned up." Mom ordered as she straightened up. "Max, go order some pizzas."

I silently cheered. I hated broccoli casserole.

**And I'm back! I have missed writing so much these past few months. And I apologize for the delay in posting this story, a combination of writers block and too much schoolwork has had me on edge lately. **

**Something you guys should know about this story:**

**It has been stuck in my head for over a year now and I've just finally gotten around to writing it. Its different from my other two stories because, as you can tell, I've decided to include some of the original Max Ride plot: ie: Erasers, mutants, evil scientists, the works. I'm not quite sure how it will turn out but I couldn't resist the urge to write it. Please let me know what you think so far! I'm aware that after the Prologue this first chapter was boring but I'm working my way up to the action. I need you to be patient because nothing will be jumped right into (yes I am not so subtly hinting at FAX). **

**Read and Review!**

**Peace!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: James Patterson owns all of the main characters plus certain parts of the plot. I own Coach though :)**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

"Do you see those girls over there?" Nudge, my very loquacious friend's arm shot out in front of me, pointing vaguely to my left before she retracted her arm and continued. "They're Kaycie Anderson and Lauren Penny; they're our biggest competition here. I really don't think they're that much of a threat, at least to you, I mean, seriously, who can take anyone seriously when they were a pink headband with an orange school uniform, I mean that's, like, total fashion homicide and…"

I tuned out the rest of her rant. We'd arrived in Missoula over an hour ago and the hurdle event was coming up soon. I wasn't participating until the mile-coach kept me for distance running only-but I was a stand in for others. Nudge was good in events like the hurdle and pole vault. One would think that her verbose behavior stemmed off of nerves but I knew it was just her normal personality. She doesn't seem to possess the filter that most people have when it comes to what you think and what you say.

I continued stretching as I surveyed the competition that Hellgate High School had to offer, and yes, that's a legitimate school name. The competition was being hosted by Hellgate today but there were four schools competing: Lerner, Hellgate, Hamilton, and Sentinel High Schools. Nudge was right, Lauren and Kaycie were the people we were warned about, but that didn't mean they were our only real competition. As I looked around I took note of one girl in particular who looked like she'd be a challenge. She was about my height, maybe slightly shorter, with curly red hair that was bound into a pony tail much like my own. Her green uniform had the number twenty-four pinned to the back of it. She didn't look threatening, exactly, I just had a feeling.

I pulled coach aside as he passed me.

"Who's that?" I asked, pointing to the Redhead Wonder.

Coach flipped through his roster, looking for her number before answering me.

"Her name is Lissa. She's from Hamilton. She's new to the team this year, she runs in your events. Why?" He asked as he flipped back through the papers on his clipboard and returned it to his side.

"No reason." _Just a gut feeling_, I added silently. I get those a lot.

"Well," he sighed, observing me closely. "You can keep an eye on her but I think that your biggest concern will be Kaycie, she's in your event too. Lauren is more of a hurdle and pole vault athlete."

I nodded noncommittally and coach walked away.

…..

I was bouncing on the balls of my feet, eager to get my race on the road. My event was finally up and I was eager to run after the hour long bus ride and another hour of waiting on the sidelines.

"Runners in position." A voice boomed over the intercom. I, along with Kaycie, Lissa, and another girl from Sentinel lined up. Kaycie was on the inner lane, then me, then Lissa, and then Sentinel's runner was on the outside.

We all positioned ourselves so that our left legs stretched behind us, or toe's bent and knees just touching the ground, our right legs were planted firmly on the ground, our knees touching our chests as we grazed our fingertips on the track. It may seem like a hard position to propel oneself out of but once that horn blew I could erect myself and shoot off down the track in a heartbeat.

I waited, adrenaline pounding through my body already as I focused on the track in front of me. Nobody else existed. I heard the horns obnoxious blare and I was off. My initial start gave me a lead, my height providing a long stride for me. I was what guys referred to as a 'leggy blond'…if they wanted to be castrated.

The girls in this event didn't mess around. We all kept pretty even as we rounded the first lap but it didn't concern me. It was all about conserving energy, to have enough stamina to _not slow down. _

It's the last two laps that count because that's when you can start to tell who's up to the task.

As we rounded our third lap I pulled ahead, slightly at first, but the gap increased as time went by.

My lungs had a healthy burn to them by now and I tried to keep my breaths even as I went. My brain registered each jolt of a footfall as I went. An old strategy that I used when I was running was, ironically, to pretend that I was being chased.

As a child I used to have these horribly vivid dreams about dogs chasing me through the woods. My mom and dad had tried to get me a puppy when I was seven and I'd screamed my head off until they gave it to a friend. They scared the crap out of me and I didn't know why.

But they were effective when I was trying to keep up my pace.

I imagined the baying of the hounds as they chased me, their footfalls too close for my liking. I sped up, arms pumping tightly at my side. The world blurred around me in a sea of faces, changing and morphing until it was trees that surrounded me. The track disappeared and I was running over the debris littered forest floor. The bloodthirsty howling was getting closer. My heartbeat sped up as fear shot through me. It happens every time; I don't know why I do it to myself, aside from the extra adrenaline it gives me. Whenever I'm in this zone I panic, I feel my eyes get wide with the prospect of getting captured by the beasts and I'd do anything to get my mind back to the track but my fear keeps me locked in place, locked in the horrors of my mind.

_Its fake, _I try to remind myself, _there are no dogs here, you aren't being chased, you're _racing_ those are completely different things! Come on! Back to the track! Snap out of it!_

Slowly the forest around me melts and I'm back on the track, the wailing transforms to the cheers from the crowd egging me and my competitors onward. All the footfalls have faded behind me except for one. I don't spare a look back, that's where people make their mistakes. Take your eyes off the track and you trip. I'm not that stupid. All I need to know is that the person behind me can't beat me.

I push forward, my lungs on fire, my legs feeling like dead weight. I'm not exactly sure how long I was in my 'zone', I don't know how many laps I have left, but my body is telling me that this is probably my last.

I see Coach and Nudge yelling and waving to me from the finish line. Another gangly form is with them. Iggy, my best guy friend since kindergarten, showing off too much pale skin under his navy track uniform. His strawberry blond hair falls into his pale blue eyes as he clutches Nudge while they cheer.

I fixate on them as I push my body to its limits my breaths coming out in harsh rasping noises now. I blink sweat out of my eyes. The footsteps are too close, getting closer. Whoever this is, they had more energy reserves than I expected.

_Come on Max, you can't lose now! _I commanded of myself. _You've come too far to let someone from _Hellgate _beat you! Besides, Iggy will never let you hear the end of it if you lose! _

The prospect of Iggy's torment drove me forward as I drew upon the last vestiges of my energy.

I lunged over the finish line just ahead of my opponent.

My momentum carried me a few yards further before I finally stopped and doubled over, clutching the stitch in my side and gasping for air.

"_MaxMaxMaxMaxMax!" _Nudge squealed as she plowed into me, holding me tightly. "You won!"

"Is that…really….a surprise…to you?" I panted, giving her a weary smile.

"Well usually no but that was a close one! We had no idea that Lissa girl could run so fast! I mean you two were neck and neck for most of the mile! But you pulled ahead! You used that dog trick didn't you? You know I don't condone you scaring the crap out of yourself to get the upper edge but in this case I'll make an exception!"

"Nudge! Give my All Star a break!" Coach butted in, wrapping a supportive arm around my shoulders as he led me towards the gate. The announcer was reading off our times.

I beat my best time by thirty seconds.

I beat Lissa by three seconds.

I saw her doubled over on the side of the track about three yards away from where I was. I made my way over to her. She looked up, hair matted, flyaway strands sticking to her face as she panted. I held out my hand in a peace offering.

"You were great." I admitted.

She gave me a weary smile and shook my hand. "Gave you a run for your money didn't I?"

I groaned. "And I thought _I _was bad with puns and clichés!" She laughed at my dramatic outburst. "Well, it was nice competing with you."

"Yeah, you too." She smiled weakly before we headed in opposite directions for water and a much needed rest.

….

"Hey Maxie, how you feeling?" Iggy asked me, clapping me on the back as he came within range, Nudge faithfully at his side. He was the center of Nudge's fixation lately, which suited him just fine. They were cute together, light and dark with Nudges mocha and caramel look.

"Tired," I groaned. As in _to the bone. _Thank god it was Friday; I don't think that I could have gotten up for school tomorrow.

"Well, that's to be expected after winning _first place _for us! Way to go kid." Coach was practically glowing as he got on the bus. His team had gotten all first and second places today. "Here, by the way. Amy says congratulations." He handed me a red lidded Tupperware container.

"Cookies!" Suddenly, my day got better.

* * *

><p><strong>I know this chapter isn't the best in the world but it was necessary. I needed to characterize some of our favorite flock members and introduce Maximum Rides most terrifying fear! Well, to her anyway. I wanted to thank everyone who has started reading this story. I got over a dozen reviews and over two thousand hits in one day alone! Thank you so much guys! As for an updating schedule...well I don't have one. Usually I update every other day but I have a feeling that this one will be a little slower. At least in the beginning. And check out my blog! The link to it is on my profile. I have trailers for my stories plus links to the outfits from all of my stories. And, if I get enough reviews I might post a few excerpts from upcoming chapters there! As always, read and review!<strong>

**Peace!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: James Patterson own's Maximum Ride. I was just bored so I started screwing around with his characters.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

"Max, can you please stay after class?" My physics teacher asked me as I made a beeline for the door. I screwed up my face in an annoyed manner and waved Nudge and Iggy ahead so they wouldn't miss lunch. They spared me sympathetic glances before slipping through the doorway.

"Yeah?" I asked once the hoard of students had vacated the area. I stood in front of Mrs. Rush's desk. She was a tall, big boned woman, with shoulder length brown hair and bad fashion sense, not that I'm usually one to judge, but if I say it's bad, then you _know _it's funky.

She passed a packet of paper to me. It faced downward so I had no idea what it was until I flipped it over.

The first thing I processed with the big D- written in bold purple strokes in the top right corner. Then I realized it was the most recent test I'd taken in the class.

I mentally cursed, knowing that this would warrant a parent's signature.

"What happened, Max?" She asked me. I honestly didn't know what she expected me to say. I wasn't the best student in the class, in fact I was pretty average, my usual grades were low B's when it came to physics but even I knew that this D was bad.

I shrugged. "I was on a track field trip when you started the lesson and I never caught up." It was true, this was a block class, meaning that for two entire class periods for half of my school year I sat in this class. It also meant that when I missed a day of class it was as bad as missing two. When I was in Missoula last week we'd apparently started a new chapter, one that I didn't understand what so ever. Nudge and Iggy had, to some extent, and tried to teach me, but I'd given up.

I couldn't bring myself to care about physics; it was too much like math. And I really didn't like this teacher.

"Well," she sighed, "You know I need your parents to sign this."

I winced at the stern talking to I was sure to endure tonight. My parents prided themselves on raising smart children. Ella was a fricken genius for her age and me? Well, I'm average. I know that they're disappointed, even if they don't say anything, it shows through their façade.

It was yet another thing that separated me from the rest of my family.

"Yeah, I'll get right on that." I shoved the test into my messenger bag and left the room without another word.

…..

"That bad?" Nudge asked me the next day as I sat at my desk in English, brewing in my own dismal feelings.

"That noticeable?" I muttered, looking down at my desk where someone had written that they would rather do something very inappropriate with a llama than be in this class.

"Honey, a pink elephant in the room couldn't be more noticeable." She said in an apologetic voice.

I sighed heavily. When I had gotten home last night I had decided to get the worst of it over with and give my mom my physics test.

She'd been disappointed and read me the riot act same as usual, and that always put me in a foul mood.

"Yeah, it was bad, but it always is." I admitted.

Nudge took the seat next to me and placed a comforting hand on my arm. "It's alright. She'll get over it. I mean, you're hardly the first kid to get a bad grade. Besides it's not like you're a goof off privileged kid like most kids with rich parents are. No you work hard at what you do. Hell, you even got a scholarship for college! That's determination. Don't let one little fight get you down."

I felt a smile tug at the corners of my lips. Nudge always did make me feel better. "Thank."

"No problem!" she laughed. Her laugh, however, was cut off short. I looked up from where I'd been slowly carving my name into the desk on the opposite side of the proposed llama situation in time to see a tall dark figure cross the threshold of the classroom.

Back to the class, shoulders rigid, and fists clenched. I identified the distraction as a teenage guy. He had shaggy black hair and olive toned skin. I couldn't identify any other distinguishing features about him while he wasn't facing me.

What had everyone staring was the fact that he wasn't in a uniform. If there is one thing that The Lerner School for Gifted Children prided itself in, it was its uniforms. They're always worn to perfection, not a loose thread in sight.

And this boy wasn't wearing one. Instead he wore dark wash jeans and an old black t-shirt. He had a backpack, black what a surprise, slung over his shoulder and he was handing the teacher a slip of paper.

She read it over and nodded to the kid before coming out from behind her desk.

"You can sit there," Ms. C said, pointing the guy to an empty seat two rows to my left. He nodded to her and turned around.

He was decent looking, I'd admit that. His smooth olive tinged skin spread flawlessly over his well-structured face. He had a straight nose and dark obsidian eyes surrounded by long black eyelashes. His hair was shaggy and fell into his eyes, but not in an emo boy style, just unkempt. His face showed no emotions and even his eyes were completely devoid of emotions, something that was very hard to achieve. Despite his cool exterior he didn't give off the 'cool guy' vibes, more of the 'keep to yourself, don't mess in my business' kind of guy. I could respect the craving for personal space.

Though by the looks of it this guy wasn't going to get any.

All the girls in the classroom seemed to be swooning. I snorted and turned to face the front of the classroom. I had identified him as a low threat risk to me and that's all I cared about.

Ms. C called the class to attention and finally allowed the boy his peace.

…..

"So his name is Nick Carroway and he's eighteen." Nudge started off the lunchtime conversation. I had to hold back my groan, and by the looks of it, so did Iggy. She'd been hooked on the only good piece of gossip that the school had to offer: the new kid. How cliché was that? And usually I'm one for clichés but who really cared about the new kid?

Well. Nudge did.

"He just moved here with his family a few days ago. How much must that suck? I mean, transferring schools in your senior year? The last few months of it too. It's crazy, I'd throw a fit. But anyway, I've talked to people whose classes he's in, not to mention he's in my math class, and from what I can tell he's—"

"Nudge," I interrupted. She looked at me, almost as if she was realizing I was there for the first time. "Not to be rude or anything but I really don't care." I pressed my fingers to my temples to try and slow the beginnings of the head ach I felt coming. Nudge started to open her mouth, to bicker no doubt, but I continued on. "I don't care where he's from, or what he's like, if he likes broccoli, or whatever else your about to say."

"I do like it," a deep voice said from behind me. Nudges eyes widened. I turned around to see none other than the new kid standing behind me, backpack slung over his shoulder, a slight smirk on his lips. "Broccoli that is. Though I'd much rather chocolate. Thanks for taking an interest."

"I wasn't." I assured him stonily.

He quirked an eyebrow. "Mind if I sit?" He asked, gesturing to the seat left at the lunch table. "Everywhere else is full."

"Sure!" Nudge broke in before I got the chance to say no. The guy, I think Nudge said his name was Nick, dropped his bag and sat next to me while I glared at my food.

Nudge went merrily onward with the conversation, conducting introductions.

"So I'm Monique Anderson, but you can call me Nudge—actually, I'm not so sure why that is. Hm…Do you remember Max? Oh! Wait, I remember, it's because I tend to talk too much, or so people say because I don't really think I'm that bad, anyway, whenever Max wanted me to stop talking she'd elbow me, you know 'nudge,' me. Get it? Anyway, yeah, so I'm Nudge and this is my boyfriend James Griffiths, but you can call him Iggy, and now _that _I don't even know the story behind and he never told me it. And of course, that's Max. Maximum Martinez. It's nice to meet you Nick."

Nick blinked slowly, probably trying to decipher the Nudge Lingo, it took a while to get used to it, but I was way past accustomed to her slurred words.

"Yeah, Hi." He said at last. To be honest I think he gave up on trying to figure out what Nudge had said and just settled for the safe answer.

Smart tactic.

I busied myself by picking around my lunch tray in search of something edible while an awkward silence settled over the lunch table. I wasn't having much luck.

"So, Nick," Nudge said at last. "How do you like Lerner so far?" _Well that was straight from the book about the welcome wagon! _I thought as I rolled my eyes.

"Its…" He seemed like he was trying to search for words but had no luck. "Yeah, I can't think of anything nice to say about it." He said at last.

Iggy and I snorted into our food while Nudge grasped at straws for conversation.

"Well where did you move here from?" she tried. _Again, Nudge, _I thought. _Deviate from the written text. I mean, this stuff was practically carved into stone by the Neanderthals. _

"Lots of places." He answered sounding bored. I was starting to think that this guy didn't enjoy talking too much. Either that or he was just plain rude.

Probably both.

"Um…"

"Nudge, give it up," I sighed, looking at her at last. "He obviously doesn't want to talk to us, or anyone probably, just let him stay in isolation." I shrugged my indifference before reaching over and stealing some potato chips from Iggy's bagged lunch.

"Hey!" he objected. I gave him a look that said _do you really expect me to give them back?_

He stood down and I shoved them all in my mouth at once.

It was then that I became acutely aware that Nick was staring at me. I would have made a point to ignore him if he didn't address me then.

"So, Martinez, that's a Hispanic name right?" He asked.

My initial reaction would have been to make a scene exclaiming _oh my god! He speaks! _Or something along those lines, but then I registered what he'd actually asked.

"Yeah," I said slowly; defensively. "What's it to you?"

He shrugged. "Well, if it's a Hispanic name then shouldn't you be Hispanic?"

I glared at him. "No debería usted dejar de ser tal culo?"

"Hey, there is no need to bring my ass into this, it was a simple question." Despite how affronted he sounded a smirk played on his lips.

"You know Spanish?" I asked, slightly impressed but not willing to take back what I said. This guy was a just another jerk to add to Lerner's already full plate.

"I know enough to know that you didn't have anything nice to say." He raised an eyebrow, daring me to say otherwise.

"Well good," I stood up as the bell sounded in the background. "Then I don't need to translate."

* * *

><p><strong>In my world-and that of Google Translate-that little bit of Spanish means "Shouldn't you stop being such an ass." however I know it probably doesn't mean that to those of you who know Spanish. Sorry for botching it. Please let me know what you guys think of the story so far! I know I gave a few of you the impression that Lissa was going to be in this story a lot but to be honest I only put her in the last chapter to draw a connection to JP's books. She's not in the story again. Sorry to disappoint. <strong>

**Read and Review!**

**Peace!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: JP owns MR**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

"Hey Max!" Mom called as I stomped through the door after school. I was in a less than perfect mood and I didn't want to sit down to what I'm sure would be another inevitable talk about me doing better in school. I'd gotten an ear full of that last night.

"What?" I asked dully as I wandered into the kitchen for a snack. Mom stood at sink peeling potatoes and carrots for dinner. She wiped her hands on a dish towel and turned to face me.

"Don't eat much, Max. Dinner will be ready in an hour."

"Mmhmm," I agreed mindlessly while I grabbed an apple from the produce drawer of the refrigerator.

"Why are you in such a foul mood?" She asked, leaning up against the counter while she watched me as I ambled over to the sink and rinsed off the apple before savagely taking off a big chunk of its red surface.

"I'm not." I lied blatantly. In truth I'd left the cafeteria in an irked mood thanks to the new kid and it had only gotten worse as I'd discovered he was in my economics class. He'd spent the rest of the class period antagonizing me; his quips ranging anywhere from asking if there was actually anything interesting to do in, quote, 'this prick of a town', to telling me how ridiculous I looked in my uniform. Needless to say I was very on edge. I was used to people taking one look at my icy glare and backing off, but with Nick it seemed as if he took it as encouragement.

"Well then let's pretend that I actually believe that for a second." Mom said as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Then I have a question to ask you."

I groaned internally._ What now?_

"Shoot," I said aloud, settling myself into one of the kitchen chairs and making myself comfortable. _This could take a while _I thought, running over the countless possibilities of what she could ask me. This could be about my grades, my sports, hell even how messy my room was-

"How would you feel about watching some kids for a friend of mine?"

…or babysitting.

"You want _me_ to _babysit_?" I asked incredulously. I'm not a very patient person. The very idea that she'd let me around kids was…well, stunning. "_Why_?"

"Is that a no?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

"No it's not a no, it's just-a-well, why?" I stumbled over my words.

She chuckled at my flabbergasted expression. "She's on the PTA with me and we have a mandatory meeting this Saturday. She's a foster parent and she's currently housing a brother and sister who she needs a babysitter for. Can you do it?"

If it were under normal circumstances I would have turned her down flat, I mean, why would I want to watch some kids? But after our recent debacle I couldn't help but want to get back into my mom's good graces.

I'll be damned if karma doesn't have a sense of humor.

I sighed heavily. "Sure."

"Oh thank you sweetie! Don't worry, you'll do fine. Its only for a few hours and from what I've been told they are very well behaved children."

"Yeah, yeah," I grumbled, grabbing my backpack and heading upstairs to my room.

….

"He really said that?" Nudge demanded over the phone as I lounged around my room. I'd hardly gotten back up to my room after dinner before she'd called me and demanded to know what my 'flirting with the new guy' had been all about.

After my initial shock at her words I'd demanded to know what she was talking about. I'd sat through two minutes of her telling me that 'this person heard from that person who heard from—' and so on before she got to the point: I was the only person the new kid had talked to all day.

I'd immediately set her straight.

I was the only person he'd seen fit to _antagonize _all day.

"Yeah, he did. Listen Nudge, I don't know what people have been telling you but you need to set them straight. I think that this new guy is nothing but trouble and I could care less about him. And I'm definitely not _flirting with him._" As I spoke I vacated my bed in favor of my desk across the room. I settled into the blue rolling chair and pulled myself closer to the desk before lifting the lid of my laptop and powering it up.

"Alright, alright!" Nudge said in a tone of surrender. "I was just asking a question."

"Yeah, but there was no need for the Spanish Inquisition." I reminded her.

She scoffed. "Whatever. I'll see you tomorrow Max."

"See yea," I moved to turn off my phone but her voice rang loudly through the speaker before I got the chance.

"Oh Max!" She called.

"Yeah?" I asked dubiously.

"Keep in mind, sometimes the bad boys are all the fun."

…..

"I'm warning you now that I'm not in a good mood, if you haven't picked that up by now, so if you even _try_ to irritate me it will not end nicely." I warned Nick as I sat down at my desk in economics. It had been three days since he'd come to Lerner and he'd seemed to thrive with the chance to annoy me, though he hadn't gotten the opportunity to talk to me during English today and he'd been absent during lunch.

"And what makes you so sure that I'd be anticipating annoying you? Are you really that full of yourself?" He asked, leaning back in his chair. It was still shocking to see him dressed in the school uniform. The khaki pants and blue blazer were just not his style, though he somehow managed to get away with wearing Converse instead of the usual uniform shoes; probably because nobody had noticed them yet.

"No, I'm just assuming that you'd follow the trend of the last three days." I said spitefully as I turned to face forward in my seat. I felt as Nick tapped the leg of my desk from behind, each tap jolted me. I knew it was his method of getting my attention. The jackass had been doing this to me for the past three days.

After twenty minutes of his incessant tapping our teacher, Mr. Herskovits, dismissed us to do our independent studies. I whipped around and glared at him.

"What?" I demanded, trying to ignore his smirk.

"You were right, I do look forward to annoying you." He admitted lazily, his eyes flickering over my face.

"Why?" I seethed.

"Because you give the best reactions."

I let out a small cry of outrage that, sadly, my teacher heard. He glared at me while I gave him a sheepish look and mimed zipping my lips. The moment he turned back to his work I turned back to Nick. "Well, I'm _trying _to do my work so do you mind?" I asked, flicking my eyes down to where his foot was rhythmically tapping my chair before looking back up and meeting his obsidian eyes once more.

"No, I don't." he assured me. "You can continue working. You're not disrupting me."

I groaned. "Burro," I muttered.

His tapping stopped. "Did you just call me a donkey?" He demanded, lifting an eyebrow incredulously.

"Jackass actually."

"Oh, well then…" he trailed off. "Actually, I had something to ask you."

That was the first time that he actually sounded sincere while talking to me. Against my better judgment I found myself nodding for him to continue.

"Well, first off I have to say that I'm a bit offended that you didn't ask me where I was during lunch. Weren't you even the least bit concerned?"

There was that snarky attitude again.

"Actually no, I found it to be a very nice reprieve from your…winning personality."

He laughed. It was the first real laugh I'd heard from him. Usually he only scoffed at my reactions to his provocations.

Unfortunately his laugh drew the attention of our teacher once again.

"Miss Martinez, Mr. Carroway, would you please be so kind as to keep your frivolous behavior barred from my classroom?" I opened my mouth to object, my face aflame with embarrassment, but he held up his hand to silence me. "Now, if you'd kindly return to your work, it is due at the end of class."

I ground my teeth together as I forced myself to listen to the pompous ass and turned around; focusing on my work for the rest of the period.

….

I felt a hand grab me as I exited the gym at the end of the day. I was about to scream out a string of profanities when another hand clasped over my mouth.

"Relax Max, its only me," Nick hissed in my ear.

"What the hell Nick?" I demanded as I attempted to pull myself from his iron grip with little success.

He ignored my question and pulled me out of the stream of students and into an unpopulated corner of the building.

I tugged again and this time he released. I stumbled slightly before regaining my footing and propped my hands on my hips while I glared at him.

"What the hell was that for?" I asked again.

He rolled his eyes.

"We didn't get to finish talking after economics." He said with an unabashed shrug.

"That's what is this all about? _Really?"_ After economics I'd been completely mortified and had fled the classroom as soon as the bell had sounded, ignoring him as he called after me. "You know, there is such a thing as actually _asking_ me to talk instead of _manhandling_ me to get my attention."

"Whatever, will you answer my question or not?"

"That depends on what the question is." I said wearily.

He slipped his backpack off his shoulders and started rummaging through it until he found what he was looking for. He pulled out an old newspaper clipping.

"Well," he said as he looked back up at me, "if you had asked me where I was during lunch you'd know what this is about."

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.

"During lunch I took a detour to the library for an assignment I have for science and I found this." He handed me the paper. It was an article about a donation to Lerner and at the end of the article there was a picture of my parents smiling at the camera.

"So what?" I demanded. "You're stalking me now?"

"So they _are _your parents." He said mostly to himself.

"No shit Sherlock. Juan and Valencia _Martinez. _Look in the school directory, there is only one Martinez at this school. Hell, in this whole town."

"I thought so," he took the paper from me and held it up next to me, so that he was looking at both the picture and me together. "You don't look anything like them."

"Oh _this_ again?" I felt the beginnings of a head ach coming on. "We've already gone through this. I may not look Hispanic but _I am_."

"Why? Because you know how to speak Spanish? So do I and I'm…well god knows what I am but I'm not Hispanic." He rebutted, waving the newspaper article around as he gestured to himself.

"Why do you care?" I lashed out at last.

That stopped him dead in his pursuit of the truth but only kindled my curiosity.

"You know what? Never mind."

With that he spun on his heels and stormed off towards the schools gate, leaving me more confused than ever.

* * *

><p><strong>Things are starting to pick up! Read and Review!<strong>

**Peace!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: If I owned Maximum Ride there would be a lot more cussing and a lot less of Angels attitude.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

_I stood alone, surrounded by nothing but ancient trees so tall you couldn't see where they ended and so wide that you had to hold hands with another person just to fit around its wide circumference. No sound permeated the night, not even the hoot of an owl or the slither of a snake._

_Complete and utter silence._

_Unnatural. _

_Fear trickled down my spine and I shuddered as the silence seemed to envelope me. _

_Where was I? Why was I alone? _

_Where was my family?_

_I spun in a circle, squinting against the dull light, hoping to find some trace of life other than myself. The fauna surrounding me showed no signs of disturbance. There wasn't even a broken branch to show what way I may have come from._

_Suddenly an unnatural baying ripped through the air and pierced my heart with icy dread. _

_They were after me. I don't know how I knew it but something in the howling was familiar, like I had heard it before. _

_But what was it? Who were _they?

_I didn't stop to question. _

_I ran. _

_If there is one thing in my life that I am good at it is running, but even I wasn't fast enough to outrun the creatures that perused me. My arms pumped at my sides as I ran in tight formation, my long legs carrying me a great distance in a short amount of time. But w__ith my brain befuddled by fear I neglected to watch my footing. My foot got caught on a protruding root and I went tumbling to the forest floor in a flurry of dead leaves and other detritus. I didn't throw out my arms quickly enough and my face contacted painfully with the forest floor. Dirt entered my eyes letting loose the tears I'd been fighting the entire time. _

_Then I heard footfalls. How close did they have to be that I could hear their footsteps? Too close. _

_I needed to move. _

_Only my foot was stuck. Looking down I saw that my foot was pinned between a root and the ground, a rock painfully pressing against my ankle. _

_A desperate cry left my lips as I tried to free my foot. _

_Nothing. _

_Hot tears trekked their way down my dirty face and I closed my eyes in defeat. _

_I couldn't escape._

_That's when I heard it. _

_A new sound in the night._

_Heavy, raspy breathing._

_Right by my ear._

_I swallowed hard and opened my eyes._

_Tall, repugnant creatures loomed over me. The word 'dog' doesn't even begin to cover what these things looked like. More like a mass of fur and muscle. At the moment though, all I was concerned with were its large, drool laden canines. _

_The creature smiled, a cruel twisting of gums and a flashing of razor sharp teeth, and then it lunged._

I bolted up right, a scream ripping its way out of my throat. I screamed until my lungs were empty of air and only then did I take in my surroundings. Ocean blue walls covered in pictures of me and my friends and family, white wooden furniture pushed up against the walls, and the neon glow of my alarm clock at my bedside.

I was safely tucked away in my own bed.

A nightmare. I hadn't had one in years let alone one about the dog creatures. Those were a dark spot in my childhood, one that I chose not to reflect on very frequently.

Footsteps thundered in the hallway and my bedroom door burst open. My father came running in first, a baseball bat in hand, followed by my mother and sister. All three of their faces showed remnants of the deep sleep that I must have startled them from.

"Max?" Dad asked as he flipped on the light, taking in the view before him. "What happened?"

I can only imagine what they were seeing. Me, tangled amongst my bed sheets, panting and crazy eyed, my scream still echoing in their ears.

"Sorry!" I gasped, trying desperately to calm my frantic heartbeat. "I-I had a n-nightmare," I admitted, pushing my tangled hair out of my face.

"Oh, honey!" Mom cooed pushing out from behind dad, who had lowered his baseball bat, and coming to sit on the edge of my bed. She pulled me into her embrace, tucking my head under her chin like she used to when I was five. "What was it about?"

"Um…the dog nightmare actually." I admitted, somewhat embarrassed that I needed my mommy's comfort. It was one thing when I was five, but seventeen? Not so much.

"Really?" I could practically hear her eyebrows rise. "It's been what? Ten years since that happened?" she asked.

Actually, about five, but I wasn't going to tell her about that bout of reoccurring nightmares I'd had when I was twelve. I'd managed to hide them from her at the time.

She'd never understood my nightmares and to be honest neither did I. Usually kids have to see something or hear about it in a story for them to occur in their nightmares. It would make sense to assume that I'd seen a bad werewolf movie to instigate the nightmares but I never had. In fact, my awful dreams made sure that I'd never watch one. Hell, I refused to watch Twilight because of them, among other things. The nightmares are what influenced my fear of dogs as well.

"I don't know." I answered her. "Just a random bad dream. I'm fine now. Sorry I woke you up."

"Don't worry about it sweetheart." Dad said as he came to my bedside and leaned over to kiss me on my forehead. "We'll be down the hall if you need us."

With a few final words of comfort my family vacated my room. As I watched their three dark heads retreat through the doorway I couldn't help but remember what Nick had said yesterday.

_You don't look anything like them. _

….

"So your mom actually trusts you to babysit?" Nudge panted from her seat on the fitness bike next to me. Sweat made her exposed skin glimmer in the artificial light.

"Crazy right?" I panted back as I ran on the treadmill beside her. We were at the local gym just like we were every Friday, and usually Saturday, night. Iggy was here too, off lifting weights somewhere in an attempt to bulk up his pencil thin limbs. "She never even used to let me watch Ella when we were younger."

"Maybe she thinks you've matured enough." Nudge suggested. Her attempt at a diplomatic answer failed miserably as she cracked up at her own suggestion.

I glared playfully at her before turning back to the touch screen controls of the treadmill. "Well whatever the reason I'm stuck babysitting tomorrow so we can't come here. You and Iggy can have a date night or something."

"That's a great idea Max!" She gasped. I could practically hear the _whoosh_ as her mind flooded with possibilities. "We could—"

"Yeah whatever. You plan your date night, I'm going to listen to some music." With that I slipped in my ear buds and cranked up the volume to my iPod. Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO started blaring and I slipped back into my workout mode.

…

"Seriously, why do we walk to the gym? By the time we're done I'm so bone tired that I just want to sit in an air conditioned car." Nudge complained as we walked the necessary mile and a half from the gym to her house. It was around eight at night and the sun had long since set leaving our only light source as the street lamps and the moon.

"Consider it more exercise." I said as we struggled up yet another of Montana's abundant hills.

Her only response was to groan.

We were only a few blocks from her house when I had to ask her the question that had been floating around in my head since yesterday. I needed an outside opinion.

"Nudge?" I asked cautiously. That wasn't my usual tactic; usually I was about as blunt as a mallet but for this subject I almost didn't want to ask. In fact I felt stupid even broaching the subject. But it was constantly nagging at the back of my mind so I figured if I just said something I'd feel better about it. "Can I ask you something?"

"Since when do you need permission to ask?"

"Uh, yeah. Whatever. Listen," I paused. How do I even begin? "I-I um—"

"Max are you alright?" Nudge placed a restraining hand on my shoulder pulling me to a stop as we got to her house.

"What do you mean? Why wouldn't I be?" I asked as I fidgeted restlessly.

"Because I've never seen you like this before…you know…_nervous._" She said it like she was afraid of my reaction.

"I just never thought I'd be saying this." I admitted as I worried my bottom lip.

Under the yellow haze of the street lamp I could barely make out the subtle furrowing of her eyebrows. "Continue." She said stiffly.

"Well you know how Nick kept bugging me on his first day?" I waited until she nodded before I continued. "Well he's continued ever since and the other day he asked me—"

I was cut off by her sudden squeal. "Oh my god! He asked you out!"

"What? No!" I objected, my face heating up at her accusation. _Where on earth did she get that idea?_

"Oh don't deny it, Max! It all makes sense now! You're nervous, you've been flirting with the guy for a while now, and you even said so yourself _you've never done this before! _Duh!" She slapped her hand to her forehead. "So did you say yes?"

"_No!" _I felt completely mortified. Me and _Nick? _He was arrogant, a know it all, and always snooping in my business. _How is _any_ of that attractive?_ I wondered while I gaped at Nudge in disbelief.

Her face fell in disappointment. "Why didn't you say yes?" She demanded.

"What? Oh!" I rolled my eyes. "I didn't say yes because he didn't ask and even if he did I would have said no!" I set her straight.

"But _why_?" She demanded. "He's hot."

"Nudge," I groaned, stomping my foot in a pathetic movie imitation stunt. "It doesn't matter if they're _hot_."

She scoffed. "Whatever. You like him."

_How on earth did this conversation change from me trying to ask her if I was different from my family to _this_?_

"I'm done talking to you." I said. I spun on my heels and set off towards my house at a fast pace, ignoring her calls for me to come back.

* * *

><p><strong>Hey guys! Sorry this update was a little later then usual. I really don't have any other excuse aside from laziness. I'll make it up to you though! I'm half way through with the next chapter and its time to babysit! I'll update by Friday hopefully! As always, Read and Review!<strong>

**Peace!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: JP owns**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6:<strong>

"So what do I do with them?" I asked Mom before I headed out the door to my babysitting job. She had neglected to tell me how I was supposed to entertain a six year old and an eight year old for four hours. I was seriously starting to contemplate bringing a couple of dog cages and some candy to lure them into it with. But for some reason I thought that it might be frowned upon. No clue why.

"You play with them, Max. You let them show you their toys and watch movies with them. Then you feed them, don't worry Marcy has already assured me that she left dinner in the refrigerator, and you put them to bed. That's it." She made it sound so simple, however, I knew it would be anything but.

"But I've never done this before! I never wanted to!" I complained petulantly. I knew I was supposed to be doing this to get back into my mom's good graces but I would much rather have been assigned to, I don't know, dishes duty or taking out the trash. Not babysitting.

"I have complete faith in you honey." She assured me. "Now hurry up or you'll be late."

"So unfair," I grumbled as I made my way to the home of my new babysitting charges. The lady, Marcy, lived not even a mile away from my house so I'd decided to walk; it was a nice spring evening after all.

"Three seventy-four Conklin Avenue…" I repeated under my breath as I turned onto the appropriate street.

This section of town was what I would classify as 'modest living'. The homes were single family sized, slightly smaller than those in Nudge's neighborhood, and gave off a warm feeling rather than the distinct _eau de money_ that my neighborhood reeked of. I followed the curve of the road to a small one story home with brown siding and forest green door. The yard was well manicured and there was a small garden beginning to bloom underneath one of the several windows the house possessed.

I made my way to the front door and knocked three times. A few seconds later the door was opened by a petite woman in her forties. Her brown hair was speckled with grey and her green eyes were warm and inviting. Loud noises emanated from the home behind here. A clatter of pans followed by children screaming. Two blond streaks darted through the room behind the woman and disappeared down another hall.

"You must be Max." The woman stepped aside and gestured for me to walk inside. "I'm Marcy, nice to finally meet you. And thank you so much for babysitting for me."

"Sure. I'd say any time but I'm not usually into this babysitting thing. I'm not very good with kids but mom said you needed to go to some PTO thing." I said as I slipped into the home. It was as cozy on the inside as it had looked from the outside. Earth toned colors and patterns were the theme of the home. The living room was directly in front of the door and a couch and two matching chairs were oriented towards each other allowing for easy conversation between its family members. To my left through an arched doorway I could see the kitchen and to my right was the hallway that the two kids had disappeared down.

She laughed at my introduction but made no comment on my frank deduction of my abilities. "Well she was right of course. There's a dinner tonight, mandatory. Apparently we're going over things for the end of the year." Marcy told me as we walked into the living space and sat down in the two chairs. "I won't be gone too long. Not past ten for sure." I nodded. "Great. Let me introduce you to the kids."

She was out of her chair and down the hall in a matter of seconds, returning moments later with two children in tow. Both blond with big blue eyes they were undoubtedly brother and sister.

They were also undoubtedly _not _Marcy's children.

"Max, I'd like you to meet my foster children. This is Zephyr," she gestured to the tall little boy with an untamable cowlick and a mischievous glint in his eyes. "And this is Angela." She indicated the small girl with a halo of golden curls and a wide, innocent gaze. "Guys, this is Max."

"Hey!" They chimed happily, eyes looking over me curiously. That coupled with the look in Zephyr's eyes made me think that tonight would be interesting.

"Okay guys, listen up." Marcy directed to the two kids as she got up to grab her purse and a jacket. "I need you guys to behave for Max, alright?" She waited for them to nod before continuing. "I won't be home too late but I expect you both in bed by nine. Got it?"

They nodded again. I could see why she was fostering kids. She didn't have any of her own and all of this motherly talent would have gone to waste without them.

"Alright then. Have a good time and I'll see you later." She kissed each of them on their forehead before turning to give me a smile and heading out the door.

Silence.

I stood awkwardly before the two little children with expectant eyes. _What was I supposed to do now?_

"Um, well…"

"Aren't you going to ask us what we want to do?" Angela asked me in a sweet little voice. She really did remind me of a small angel.

"Yes!" I said, silently thanking her for giving me something to work with. "What do you guys want to do? We could watch a movie or play a game or—"

"I want to show you my room!" Angela burst out before grabbing my hand in her tiny one and pulling me down the hall.

"Hey it's my room too!" Zephyr complained at my side.

"You'll love all my stuffed animals! Oh, and Gazzy's dolls." Angela continued as if her brother hadn't interrupted. _What's a Gazzy?_ I wondered.

"They're not dolls! They're action figures!" Zephyr called as he followed us down the hallway.

They led me to a door half way down the narrow hallway labeled _Angel & Gazzy's Room_.

_What? _

"Hey guys, what's with the nick names?" I asked as we paused at the door.

"Oh!" Angela said in a 'duh' voice. "Well everyone says I look like an angel so the name kinda stuck, plus it's close to my name, yea know? And Gazzy…well you don't wanna know why that's his nick name." Well that fit. I even though she looked angel like when I'd first seen her.

"You're right, I probably don't." I admitted. "Now show me your room."

Her smile was dazzling.

'Their room' turned out to be a decent sized bedroom split down the middle by conflicting personalities. I kid you not; one side of the room was painted pink while the other side was camouflage. Each side of the room had a twin bed that matched the theme of that side of the room. 'Angel's' side was overloaded with stuffed animals while 'Gazzy's' side of the room had action figures, random wires, and a fake (god I hoped but something about his impish smile made me wonder) grenade.

They immediately separated and headed towards their respective sides, both asking me to follow.

"Um…" I hesitated. "I'll be there in a minute Gazzy. Angel asked me first." I finally said, deciding that it was a diplomatic answer.

"Yay!" Angel cheered while her brother shrugged and turned to his toys. "We're going to have so much fun Max! I'll introduce you to all of my stuffed animals and then we can have a tea party and…"

This was going to be a long night.

…...

"Hey Angel?" I asked two or so hours later. We were all curled up in the living room watching Finding Nemo after I'd made—alright _reheated_—dinner. I'd actually had more fun watching the little tyrants than I'd thought possible. Angel and Gazzy were both so smart and wise beyond their years that it was a constant surprise. I'd been playing 'action figures' with Gazzy and I'd asked him what he liked most about his action figures. His answer had blindsided me.

_Flashback:_

_"You can have this one, Max." Gazzy told me as he handed me a small, red, PowerRanger action figure."He's my favorite."_

_"And why is that?" I asked him as I turned the seemingly insignificant action figure between my fingers._

_"He's the first toy I got. My last foster mom got him for me. Plus, he's red. Red's the best color. Its the color that explosions make, you know, when they catch things on fire." _

_"O-kay," I drew the word out as I carefully set the figure back on the floor as if it were about to explode. "Then why don't you use it? Its your favorite after all."_

_He shrugged and switched the red one for a blue one, claiming it for himself. I watched as he added more action figures into the mix and started having them talk to each other and fight. To me they seemed like any other inanimate object with no personality or promise but to Gazzy they seemed like so much more. _

_"Gazzy," I asked after a few minutes of observation. "Why do you like action figures so much?"_

"_They never leave you." He'd said with a shrug. "When everyone else walks away they don't. And you can take them with you. It's easier than friends." _

_I sat back and stared at him in a stunned silence. That was deeper than anything I could have come up with and it had come from an eight year old._

_End Flashback_

I felt guilty about asking but I was so curious.

"Yeah Max?" She answered quietly, being courteous of her brother who was still engrossed in the movie. Angel had claimed the spot next to me on the couch and lay with her head in my lap as I gently stroked her curls.

"I was wondering…how-how long have you been…" I bit my lip, unable to phrase my question properly.

"Orphaned?" she asked simply.

Her bluntness surprised me and she could tell. "It's not a bad word. Or mean. There are a lot of kids like us. Our mommy," she gestured to herself and Gazzy, who-at this point-I could tell was trying his hardest to ignore us. "She gave us up when I was a baby. Gazzy was two."

"Oh," I said in a small voice. "That's—"

The front door opened and a shadow laden figure entered. Before I could pull myself from my daze Angel was off of my lap and running for whoever had come in.

"Fang!" She screeched and launched herself at the shadowed figure.

The man caught Angel in his arms, holding her close. "Hey Ange." He said.

Wait…I knew that voice…

"Fang you need to meet someone!" She gasped as she wriggled out of his arms and dropped to the ground.

"We've already met," he said as he stepped into the room.

* * *

><p><strong>And yes! I told you I'd have it finished by today! I want to thank everyone who has actually reviewed this story. I'm aware that its not as good as my others (there are just some stories that won't stop nagging at you until you write them though) but I guess between that and my long absense I lost quite a few followers. Oh well, maybe I'll get some new ones over the course of this story! On that note...Read and review!<strong>

**Peace! **


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't have enough time on my hands to pop out a new book every other Tuesday like JP seems to do. I barley get this Fanfiction up!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

"_Nick!"_ I gasped, processing the voice about a second before he stepped out of the shadowed entry way and into the living room. My stomach plummeted somewhere down past my toes._ Why is he here?_ I wondered. _Of all the random school kids that could possibly show up, why is it him?_

_Why him?_

"Max," He nodded. His face showed displeasure, a deviation from the only other expression I'd seen him express: antagonism. I was pretty sure his thoughts were along the same line as my own. Why was he surprised? Hadn't his mom told him I was babysitting? Maximum isn't a very common name, especially here in traditional Montana where most people had been named after their relatives in some way. Most people I knew around here hated their names, that's why they favored their nick names.

"You guys know each other?" Gazzy asked, finally turning away from the television to look at us. I suddenly felt very awkward; as if I'd stepped into something that I was both unwelcome and unwanted in. One look in Nicks obsidian eyes and I knew that my deduction was correct.

"Yeah, we go to school together." I admitted slowly as I clambered to my feet. I awkwardly moved my hands from behind my back-which I decided was too formal- to cross them over my chest, which I then decided made me look angry, before I settled with tucking them into my pockets. "I guess if you're…_home? _Then I can leave."

"Don't bother." He said, blocking my exit as I took a tentative step towards the door. "Marcy doesn't trust me with the kids. That's why you're here in the first place." His voice was bitter as he spoke.

"Marcy?" I repeated. Why had he called her by her first name? Why not 'Mom'? Nick answered my thoughts, which I considered odd because to most people-even those like Nudge and my family who'd been with me for years- couldn't read me. This guy was becoming more and more unnerving with every passing moment.

"Yeah. Foster mom. As in not my real mom." He clarified in a voice devoid of all emotion.

"Foster…oh." I said in a small voice, heat rising in my cheeks. Now I _really _didn't want to be here.

He caught my eye and gave me a look that said: _leave it alone._

At the moment I was all too willing to oblige.

"Well," I said in an attempt to break the tension. "We were just watching a movie. Why don't you join us?" I gestured back into the living room before quickly chastising myself. Why was I inviting him to watch a movie in his _own home? _

_Stupid, stupid, stupid! _Where was my head tonight? It was as if Nicks appearance had pressed flash freeze in my brain and now, a good five or so minutes after his initial appearance, the ice had not even begin to thaw out yet.

"Yeah please Fang!" Angel begged, wrapping her arms around his waist and giving him Bambi eyes. I don't think I'd ever fully understood the meaning of Bambi eyes until tonight. Angel had already used them to get me, Maximum Martinez, to play _Barbie's_ with her. Granted I did get to play the villain, but still! Those eyes could make a dictator hand over his country.

Suddenly I registered Angels words and it was like the ice in my brain broke into a million bitty pieces. Against my better judgment I snorted.

"Fang?" I asked as I slapped a hand over my mouth, trying to contain any laughs that would follow my embarrassing snort.

"Shut up." He muttered.

Oh, hell no. I may have stumbled into some secret that Nick didn't want me to know but _nobody _told me to shut up.

I turned and knelt before Angel. "Honey? Why did you call him that?" I asked in a sickly sweet voice.

She smiled. "Well when Gazzy and I first met him he was dark and scary and I thought he looked like a vampire." I was really holding back my laughter now. "And I needed a name for him. What else was I going to call him? Tooth?" I couldn't hold in the laughter after that. I collapsed onto the floor in a fit of giggles. Angel smiled and jumped on top of me. I flipped over and tackled her, tickling her sides until she was laughing with me.

"I never pictured that you'd be good with kids." Nick's—I mean Fang's—voice sounded over our giggles. I stopped tickling Angel and looked up at him through a curtain of my hair.

"I'm not. Well usually, anyway. These two are an exception." I admitted.

His lips twitched up slightly. "Yeah, they are."

…

"Thanks again for watching them Max. They had a blast." Marcy told me as we stood at the door. Angel and Gazzy were safely tucked away in their bipolar bedroom by the time Marcy made it home. They'd protested when I'd helped them get ready for bed. Angel assured me that she was a big girl and didn't need to go to bed yet. But once the clock hit nine she started getting cranky and Fang—I was going to call him that from now on, it suited him in a strange way— and I had convinced her and her delinquent brother into bed.

Fang had surprised me with his gentleness towards his two foster siblings. The way he spoke with Gazzy, as if they were both at the same level of comprehension, made the young boy open up even more than he had with me and his Power Rangers. Likewise with Angel he seemed to know just what to say to solicit a smile from the little girl. I'd never heard him talk as much as he did with Angel and Gazzy. All of this evidence—that I'd gathered in a little over an hour— made it very hard for me to swallow his excuse that Marcy didn't trust him with the children. There was something else going on there that he wasn't telling me. Not that I really expected him to be forthcoming about that to _me _of all people. And I wasn't about to complicate things even more by asking Marcy about it.

"No problem. I had fun too." I admitted as I stepped out into the night.

"Look, it's dark, are you sure you don't want me to drive you home?" She asked as he gaze slid past me and into the inky night.

"No, I'm fine." I assured her. "My house isn't too far away."

"Well…" She hesitated, torn by her motherly instinct. Should she let me walk home in the dark or should she leave two of her wards asleep with an_ untrustworthy_ third ward?

"I'll walk her." Fang said from behind her, effectively ending her inner turmoil.

"Are you sure, Nick?" Marcy asked adopting a look of complete shock on her face. She had expected the offer even less than I had.

"Yeah, no problem." He shrugged indifferently, choosing to ignore our shocked looks.

Marcy turned to me. "Would that be alright?" She asked. Her tone was sweet but her eyes were inquisitive. She wanted to know why Fang was suddenly offering to walk the babysitter home.

So did I.

I hesitated. I didn't mind the company but I still felt awkward around Fang, especially since I'd found out a secret he'd apparently been trying to keep from me.

"Yeah, that'd be cool." I said at last. "Thanks."

Fang stepped through the door as Marcy pushed it shut with one last good-bye.

We walked for a few blocks in near silence, only the sound of our footsteps, our breathing, and the rhythmic beating of my bag on my shoulder broke the silence. Eventually so did Fang.

"This doesn't change anything." He said as he tucked his hands firmly in his pockets, imitating my earlier stance. He didn't look at me as he spoke.

"What doesn't?" I asked, startled that he'd actually started a conversation. I was expecting us to walk in silence.

"That you found out about this. Technically I'm not a foster kid anymore."

My eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I'm eighteen." He pointed out. "I'm officially out of the system. Marcy's letting me stay with her so I can finish high school. I'm out of here as soon as I can."

"What about Angel and Gazzy?" I asked quietly. If there was one thing that I'd learned tonight, it was that he loved those little kids. The way I'd seen him interact with them, it was like looking at a protective older brother watching his siblings. It was a completely new side to him.

It was nice.

"I'd take them if I could." He admitted, glancing at me from the corner of his eyes. "But I'll have to settle with keeping in touch with them. Making sure that they're okay."

That didn't seem good enough. Not nearly good enough.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked meekly. I had no right to know, but with all of his intrusive questioning didn't he once think that maybe he should offer up some personal information of his own?

"What?" He raised an eyebrow in question.

"In that entire time that you were trying to prove that I didn't look like my family why didn't you mention that you were a foster kid? Why—" I paused, eyes widening as realization hit. "That's why."

Fangs shadowed face remained expressionless as far as I could see but my mind was whirling with my revelation.

I continued. "That's why you took notice. That's why you were interested. Because you're a foster kid. You look like things for that." I didn't mention the other part of my theory, that he just wanted to know if there was someone at school like him.

I didn't mention it, but we both knew he understood my implication.

"Let it drop Max." he said stiffly, looking straight ahead once again.

"Why?" I demanded, stopping dead in my tracks as I propped my fists on my hips in a gesture of defiance. "You never stopped badgering me."

"That's because I'm not deluding myself like you are." He shot back as he, too, came to a halt. We stood just outside of the pool of light emanating from a street lamp to my left. Even with the light so close by it did very little to help me see his face.

I glared up at the darkness shrouding his face, hoping my glare was aimed at his eyes. It would be embarrassing to be staring his nose down. "You have no right to tell me that. You have no clue how my mind works."

"I've seen enough."

"No, you haven't! You're just a conceded, self-righteous bastard who likes to meddle in other people's lives." I ground out. "Well I've got news for you. I'm unlike any other girl you've ever met. I don't stand for that bullshit." I turned and stormed away, leaving him in my metaphorical dust.

I heard him speaking as I walked away, so quiet that he probably didn't mean for me to hear it.

"Of everything you've ever said to me, Max, I believe that the most."

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry it took forever to update! You can't possibly imagine how hectic my life is right now. I'll try to make it up to you guys and update by Friday. Thanks for your kind reviews! I love them and they definitely keep me writing! As always R&amp;R!<strong>

**Peace!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: James Patterson owns all rights to the Maximum Ride series. I'm just using his characters for my own selfish purpose.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

"I'm tired." Ella panted. "Can we….please take a…break?" I glanced over my shoulder to where my sister was lagging behind me by about ten yards, her dark flyaway hairs catching in the almost nonexistent breeze that did little to cool the sweat on her skin.

"Seriously Ells? We've only been at it for an hour." I complained. Sometimes I forgot how much more in shape I was then her. Not that she was physically lacking, she was thin and healthy, it's just that I had trained myself for more rigorous activities than her. And she's twelve. I'm seventeen.

"Well sorry that I'm not Wonder Woman like you are." She snapped as she stopped walking and plopped herself down onto a boulder that created a wedge in the path.

"Girls," Dad said in a warning tone. My family and I were spending the day hiking on one of the copious nature trails that littered the mountains of Montana. We tried to spring for family activities once or twice a month. For the past two months that hadn't happened. But last night my mom had suddenly sprung the idea of hiking on us during dinner. I was up for it, anything that let me exert energy physically instead of mentally was good in my books, but Ella had looked a little disheartened. She was definitely more of a shopping girl than a hiking girl. With that in mind I had suggested one of the trails that ran at a gradual incline compared to some of the steeper ones that actually challenged me. Still, it was a hot day and Ella, as well as my parents, were sweaty and flushed and looked about ready to drop.

We still had about a mile to the top.

I sighed in defeat and dropped my small nylon backpack at my feet. "You could be Super Girl," I offered up to my sister.

She giggled while my parents rolled their eyes.

"No, the super strength is more of your thing, Max. I'll be, like, Jean from X-Men. She does all of the mind tricks and stuff. That's more my speed."

"Why do I feel like I've just stepped into a Comic-Con with all of this superhero talk? I don't even like this crap." I snarked in good humor.

Our parents smirked at our silly banter while they too took the opportunity to lean up against some shaded rocks and rest. I pulled out my water bottle and downed half of the now warm water in a few gulps. My family was alone on the trail and with no physical exertion or distraction I was soon eager to move on.

But after a few minutes my family looked no closer to being ready to continue while I shifted from foot to foot anxiously.

"Are you ready yet?" I blurted out as my father shifted, looked like he was going to get up, but just relaxed once again.

"Relax, Max." Dad chastised me as he raised his hand to his forehead to wipe away the sweat. His dark curls clung to his clammy bronze skin. "Your sister is still tired. Let her rest."

I'd like to say that I waited patiently after that and we were all ready to continue a few minutes later.

But it's me we're talking about.

Another two minutes of inactivity and I was ready to burst. I muttered something about looking around and I headed east off the trail, my mothers words of caution following me.

I quickly found myself on the type of terrain that provided a challenge to me. I trekked through foliage and dodged precariously placed rocks and roots while climbing a steady incline. The muscles in my legs screamed at the strenuous work while my mind thanked me for the challenge. A little discomfort in the quest for a thrill was always worth it in my opinion.

I heard the scurrying of animals around me as they ran away from the bigger threat in the vicinity: namely me. Birds cawed and bugs buzzed past my ears. I loved the sounds of nature. I loved coming out here, away from people and stupid societal matters, and getting down to the basics. It reminded me that in the past there were worse things than school or boy issues. There was the struggle for survival.

I only went about half a mile. I could have gone further but I needed to get back to my family who, if they weren't rested enough by now, they never would be. Besides, mom would be worrying about me. She probably already thought that I'd been eaten by a bear or fallen into a ravine. I could be clumsily enough for the second one on occasion. Mom called those occasions my blond moments. I always retorted by telling her she had no excuse of hair color for her clumsy moments.

As I walked back to the trail I reflected over the past two weeks. After the night I'd found out about Fangs secret he hadn't spoken to me. He'd walked me silently to my door and left without a word. The whole incident had left me pissed off and confused, though a little more sympathetic to his previous questions towards me. But not sympathetic enough to excuse him basically calling me a liar.

In another matter entirely my grades in physics had continued to plummet and I was ninety-nine percent sure that I'd failed my test last week. Mom would not be happy about that, to put it mildly.

And then there were the brewing issues in my family dynamics. Dad was working overtime lately and Mom, being the very family oriented, everyone sits down and eats together, type of person she is, had been on edge and quick to snap at everything and anything from my late workouts with the track team to the amount of time I hung out with Nudge and Iggy. And then her anger at me spurred me to hang out with my friends more _in_ _order _to stay away from her temper.

My life was so convoluted at the moment.

I was a little bit too preoccupied with my inner turmoil that I wasn't exactly paying attention to my footing and I half climbed half slid down the next incline, my feet slipping over fallen leaves and twigs. I pin wheeled my arms for balance but still managed to lose my footing and go tumbling down the last quarter of the incline.

I winced as twigs and rocks scratched my skin as I went heels over head down to the flat ground. I managed to land mostly on my right side, just barley avoiding a rock to my temple in the process.

With a groan, mostly at my own stupidity, I struggled to my feet. As I brushed the dirt from my body I glanced around trying to regain my bearings. You'd think that after tumbling down a hill you were already heading down it would be easy to distinguish which way you'd come. But in my case it wasn't so easy seeing as there were two hills I could have just taken a tumble down, both looking as if something big and clumsy had disheveled its covering of leaves recently.

Staring at them did no good so after a serious case of Eeny, meeny, miny, moe I headed off towards what I hoped would be the nature trail.

Intermediate patches of sunlight broke through the canopy of trees that surrounded me as I kept my eyes peeled for the break in the tree line. I was starting to think that I'd gone the wrong way when a new noise registered in my head.

A deep, throaty growl permeated the air. I froze where I stood and flickered my eyes in all directions.

Deep in the shadows of a large oak tree a small glimmer of sunlight reflected off of something. Upon closer examination I could make out the subtle twitch of an ear and bob of the head as the dog panted.

My heart seemed to throw itself against my ribcage in a desperate attempt to escape my frozen body and make a run for it. My mouth was dry and a scream seemed to lodge itself in my throat.

_Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! _I panicked as the outline of the dog made itself more pronounced to my panicked eyes.

Dog, I decided, wasn't an appropriate word. Wolf was more like it. _Did Montana even have wolves?_ I racked my brain for the answers. The trails never warned you to look out for them…then again they _did_ warn people not to stray far from the trails either….

The wolf stepped towards me, its paws treading quietly over the foliage, unlike my own footfalls which were probably what alerted the animal to my presence in the first place. As the sun lit the creature up I took in several details at once. Fur that faded from dark to light gray as it progressed down its back, black eyes, a ripped ear, and sharp, oh so sharp, teeth.

I may have just peed myself.

My body was coiled up and ready to launch myself in the opposite direction of the wolf but my legs were suffering temporary paralysis.

_Move, move, move! _I willed my legs to no avail. _Why am I acting so _girly? I demanded of myself. _There is no reason for me to be afraid of dogs!_

_Well, _another part of me argued, _this is a wolf not a dog. A big, wild, angry wolf and you just invaded its territory. You have every reason to be afraid. He wants to kill you!_

Well. That was comforting.

With another growl the wolf stepped closer yet again, closing the distance between us to a few mere yards.

That snapped me out of my fear induced stupor. Like the snap of a rubber band I shot from my spot and towards what I hoped to be the trails.

The panting—too close for comfort—assured me that the wolf was following.

I launched myself over broken logs, winded my way through tree trunks, and ducked under low lying branches, all in an effort to escape. My erratic breaths burning in my throat. The forest around me suddenly seemed endless. Surely I'd covered more than half a mile's distance since I'd turned around, shouldn't I have reached the trail by now? Was I even heading in the right direction or was I getting myself lost even further within the wolfs territory. I suddenly felt a little like Little Red Riding Hood. Did she get eaten in the end? I couldn't remember.

Suddenly light seeped through the endless maze of trees ahead of me.

Daylight.

The trails.

I put on speed as I ran. The wolf was starting to slow behind me. Had I reached the edge of its territory? Maybe it was deterred by the thought of nearing the trails. Too many humans.

Either way I launched myself through the break in the trees, never more grateful to see sunlight in my life as the warmth from the sun seeped into my exposed skin and burned my retinas forever red.

I couldn't care less. The wolf had stayed behind in the forest.

I took deep calming breaths in through my nose as I tried to still my shaking hands.

A wolf. A fucking wolf. That wasn't what I had in mind when I'd wished for something to distract me from thinking.

After another five minutes of slow even breaths I decided to find my family. They'd definitely be worried about me by now.

As it turned out I'd wandered higher into the mountain than I had anticipated and the trail I'd let out onto had been just below the top of the trail I'd been hiking with my family.

I headed down the mountain, assuming I'd run into my family at some point.

And I was right. Another quarter mile down and I found my family right where I'd left them. Well, almost. Mom and Ella were scanning the edge of the forest anxiously while Dad wandered a few feet into the canopy's cover. They all were calling my name.

"I'm here!" I called to them once I was within hearing range, waving my arms to get their attention.

"Max!" Ella called while Mom's face adopted a look of relief, which quickly swung between anger and worry.

"Where were you young lady? Do you know how worried we've been? You've been gone for half an hour! And what happened you?" She demanded as she ran up to meet me and pulled me into a hug.

"Sorry! I got lost." No need to mention the wolf. That would just make them madder at me for wandering off on my own. Besides, they might never let me up here again if they knew about it. I'd leave an anonymous tip about it to the rangers later. It was too close to the trails right now.

"And these cuts?" She asked as she pulled back to look at me, scrutinizing every little cut I'd accumulated from branches slapping me as I ran and fell.

I shrugged. "You know how clumsy I am." I said offhandedly. "I tripped."

"Max," Mom sighed. "Sometimes I don't know what I'll do with you."

"What can you do?" I said with a sardonic smile.

...

Later as we headed back down the trails and towards home I cast one last glance at the forest. Birds chirped as the dying sunlight lit up the magnificent and ancient trees. It seemed peaceful enough in that moment. I guess nothing is as it seems.

* * *

><p><strong>What else do you think isn't as it seems? Let me know! Read and Review!<strong>

**Peace!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: JP was never this interesting...and if that doesn't get you curious then keep reading!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9<strong>

"Mom," I said in an indifferent tone, trying my hardest to hide the panic from my voice. "Can you sign this please?" I handed her a sheath of papers that had a track permission form concealing my failed physics test. "It's for a track field trip."

As expected I'd failed my last physics test raking in a forty nine percent, much lower than even I had anticipated. I'd thought I'd gotten at least a sixty.

Mom took the paper and looked it over.

"Another one?" She asked me. "But your team just went to a competition last week." She complained. She was worried about my academics. She always had been. And apparently it wasn't without reason.

"Yeah, but we're doing good this season." I shrugged it off, anxious for her to sign the paper already. I didn't like to deceive my mom but after the last few times I'd brought home a bad grade, I was in no mood to deal with her blow ups.

Mom sighed and grabbed a pen from a kitchen drawer before sitting down at the table to sign my fake permission slip.

She signed Valencia Martinez with a flourish. My heart rate had just begun to slow down when her hand caught on the edge of the paper, lifting the permission form and exposing the smallest bit of a physics problem.

Busted.

I winced as she lifted the sheet completely off of my test and looked it over. The purple forty nine percent mark was unmistakable.

Shit!

"Maximum Alazne Martinez!" My mother all but shrieked. I winced and tried to shrink in on myself. She jumped to her feet and turned to glare at me, waving my test around in her hands. "What they hell do you think you're doing hiding this from me? I did not raise my daughter to be dishonest! Estoy muy decepcionado de ti! Dame una razón por la que no debe castigar!" She started to go off in Spanish, completely ignoring my attempts to answer her many questions.

"Mom!" I objected. "Mom, mom, _mom!_" She stopped her ranting and fixed a glare at me that would have made even the most manly of men cry. Good thing I was stronger than most of those wimps.

"What do you have to say for yourself?" She demanded as she put her hands on her hips, crumpling my test in the process. As far as I was concerned she could put the test in the toaster and set it to extra crispy.

"I knew you'd react like this! So I got a bad grade! I'm sorry, but every time I have to get you to sign something you go off on me like this! Sorry that I didn't want to deal with that again!" I was probably just digging myself into a deeper hole right now but I couldn't stand taking a chastising. I had to fight back. It was in my blood.

"Well than the only solution I see is for you to get better grades!"

"Don't you think I would have if I could? I hate physics! I'm sorry I don't have the perfect grades you need for your appearance!" It slipped out before I could stop it but strangely, I didn't want to take it back.

"What does that mean?" She seemed to deflate slightly.

"It means you need us to be perfect! You want the perfect family with the perfect house with the perfect story! A child with bad grades just doesn't fit your lifestyle, does it?" I burst out, tears collecting behind my eyes.

"No!" She objected. "We simply want a child who does her best!"

"And I don't?" My voice cracked despite my efforts to keep it steady.

"You don't put forth an effort! Look at your sister! Ella has great grades and still manages to have friends!"

"Yeah, some life!" I snorted. "All homework and hanging out with friends once or twice a month! Does that seem fair to her?" It seemed like hell to me.

"I don't make her do that! She makes her own decisions! She knows what's best for herself and her future! What about you?" She spat.

I felt like I'd been slapped in the face. Had I not tried to set up my future? Did my track scholarship mean nothing to her? All of my hard work in all of my classes? I was an A and B student aside from physics. I always had been.

"Well," I said in a haunted voice. "I'm sorry I'm not the perfect daughter,"

With that I did what I do best.

I ran.

…..

I went to the park two blocks away. I hadn't been there since I was Ella's age but it was always a good place for me to think. To get away from my lavishing life for a few hours and just be a kid.

I took up my favorite spot on the swings and idly pumped back and forth while I contemplated my fight with my mother.

We'd never had one this serious. Usually she just reprimanded me about my grades and said that she was disappointed in me. She'd never actually gone as far as to straight out compare me to Ella. Then again, I'd never tried to deceive her about one of my grades before.

"Well she should stop expecting so much from me. Obviously I'm just going to keep disappointing her." I muttered to myself.

"Disappointing who?" A, sadly, all too familiar voice questioned from behind me.

It was getting late and it was a school night so not many kids were hanging about the park. However it seemed that a certain boy, nicknamed for canines, was.

"What are you doing here Fang?" I sighed as I caught sight of him moving to sit on the swing beside me.

"It's a public park," he shrugged.

"Yeah well I came here hoping to get away from people!" I spat out. "It seems that no matter where I go someone unwelcomed is never too far away."

"Ouch," he said quietly. "I suppose that was meant as an insult."

"Only if you took it as one."

"Well, according to you, I have an overinflated ego, so I know for a fact that nobody can ever mean anything bad in relation to me."

"Prick," I muttered.

He chuckled as he watched the last few kids play nosily on the monkey bars.

"So, who did you disappoint?" He asked me in docile tones.

"Nobody. It's nothing."

"Really? Because it seems to me that if it has you muttering to yourself while you wallow in misery then it's something."

"Does it matter?"

"It does to you." He said in that roundabout way of his.

I snorted. "So what? And what's with you today? You never like to talk this much!"

He shrugged. "I'm having an off day."

"Yeah, whatever."

"Are you going to answer me?"

"I don't think so."

He was silent for a while and it seemed to me that the few kids here got louder. In fact, it was very hard to hear my own thoughts.

Fang, in his usual creepy way, seemed to be on the same wavelength as me.

"Come on," he said as he stood up and brushed his hands on his jacket.

"Where?" I asked dully.

"Somewhere quiet."

….

'Somewhere quiet' turned out to be a hole in the wall. Literally. It was a cave.

After deciding I had nothing better to do then follow Fang, it was a toss-up between that and going home, I'd followed him out of the park.

We caught a bus on the street corner across from the park and road it about five miles away; it let us off near the nature trails that I'd hiked with my family not long ago.

The night had grown cold. Even though it was late spring the temperatures in mountains of Montana dropped to the sixties quite often. I rubbed my chilled arms and looked ahead of us for our destination, eager to get somewhere warm. I hated the cold.

"Where are we going?" I had asked Fang as he took off with purpose from the bus stop and away from the nature trails. I didn't think anything was out that way.

"Someplace I found a few weeks ago. I never find anyone there." He's said without turning around. I'd followed quickly, struggling to keep up with his longer paces. When at last he had stopped he had led us about a quarter mile from the nature trail entrances. What I had thought to be our destination was an old ranger station that looked like it had been abandoned for years. I'd headed straight for it but Fang had caught me by the arm and shook his head.

"That way," he said, pointing behind the shack.

"What's back there?" I demanded. "Someplace for you to kill me?"

"That too. And I might if you don't shut up. It's a quiet place, remember?" He rolled his eyes as he spoke, his words laced with sarcasm.

"Hmmph, I'd like to see you try," I grumbled as he led me behind the decrepit building.

It was dark. The building cast a shadow that took away every last bit of the moons rays and left me stumbling blindly over the rough dirt trail. At one point my shoe caught on a rock and sent me tumbling towards the ground. Just as I was going down a strong hand wrapped around my upper arm, holding me in an iron grip.

"Careful," Fang's voice came from the darkness. The warmth of his hand surprised me as it seemed to radiate its heat down my arms. Goose bumps that had nothing to do with the sudden change in temperature erupted over my arms.

"You're cold." He said. It wasn't a question.

Two seconds later a soft blue glow lit Fangs face. His cellphone. I watched as he shrugged his black jacket off and offered it to me.

Normally I'm all for being as tough as any guy and not doing girly things, like taking a jacket when offered, but I was freezing.

"Thanks," I whispered as I slipped the warm coat over my arms. The fabric seemed to swallow me, hiding my hands and flowing down to mid-thigh.

He just nodded, his head a floating face in the blue light. "It gets rougher up ahead," was all he said. The small bubble that had seemed to envelope us for a moment popped and just like that I was eager to get to our destination again.

I had left my own cellphone at home, not wanting to deal with any calls my mother might make, so I followed the illumination of Fangs as we winded our way up the steep incline of a mountain.

"You know," I called ahead. "I didn't sign up for midnight rock climbing."

"It's not rock climbing unless its shear. You can drive up this. Stop complaining."

I didn't want to stop complaining. I saw it as a type of retribution for all of his antagonism. Plus it was fun.

I was about to make another smart remark when the glow of Fangs phone disappeared in front of me.

"Fang?" I called, starting to panic. Had he fallen? No, he couldn't have, I would have heard it. Then where was he?

Just then Fang's head popped out from above me.

"Up here." He called.

Another two yards and I found the ledge of the cave Fang had ducked into.

"Well," I panted slightly as I brushed my hands free of dirt and took in my surroundings. "Who knew this was here?"

"Apparently a few people," Fang said as he pointed his cellphone light towards the back of the shallow cave, illuminating a scene of various discarded alcohol bottles and cigarettes. "I guess they come out here to party. Me? I just come out here to get away."

I nodded and sat down next to him at the mouth of the cave and looked out at the scene before me.

Out of the shadow of the building the moonlight lit the landscape before me. We had climbed about twenty feet above the ranger station on an old dirt road that hadn't seen use in some time. To my left and sprawling outwards I could see the lights of Philipsburg casting a glowing haze around the city, but from here I could hear nothing. Absolute silence aside from Fangs breathing. It was peaceful. It was exactly what I'd been craving.

"Wow," I breathed as I took in the sight. "This is amazing."

"Yeah. So, do you think you'll be able to collect your thoughts out here?" He questioned me as he swung his legs over the ledge and leaned back, his arms braced against the ground.

I felt a smile tug at the corner of my lips. "Possibly."

I closed my eyes and let my mind wander back to the earlier events of my day.

I had meant what I'd said to her. I really was sorry that I couldn't be the perfect daughter like Ella was. The two of us were just so different that I didn't see how she could compare us. There really wasn't much to compare. Only differences.

"What are you thinking about?" Fang asked after nearly half an hour. His head was turned towards me in curiosity as he watched emotions flicker across my face.

"My family," I admitted, pulling his jacket more tightly around me.

He raised an eyebrow and nodded for me to continue.

My whole story started to tumble from my mouth before I could think to stop myself.

"I had a fight with my mom earlier. I tried to hide a bad grade from her but she found out and blew up at me. She criticized my work ethic, said I didn't try hard enough, and compared me to my younger sister. Perfect Ella can do no wrong. She's a true Martinez, I'm just a screw up."

I really hadn't meant to say all of that, but I felt better once I had. My chest heaved with the weight of the emotions that pressed down on me.

Fang was silent for a moment. I was afraid that he'd realized how crazy I must be. I sure sounded it. Ranting on and on about my younger sister and me trying to meet her standards. How turned around was that? I half expected him to run.

But he didn't. Instead he nodded in understanding.

"Not that I'd understand true family dynamics like yours, but I do understand the pressure you get to be the best. I learned to just ignore it and not to stress. Just to do what I'm good at."

Mr. Emotionless giving Zen lessons. Who would have guessed? But I really did appreciate his advice.

"Who put that pressure on you?" I wondered out loud.

He shrugged. "A lot of people. But mostly myself."

"Why?"

"Because when you're in the foster system people only want younger kids. The older you get the lesser your chances. The only chance I had left was to be the best at everything. But it wasn't worth the stress. So I just started being myself." He spoke in a tone of indifference but I could hear the tightness in his voice.

"And um….how…how long have you been there? In the system." I questioned hesitantly. His shoulders stiffened at my question but as I watched they slowly eased back into a semi-relaxed position.

"My entire life. Pretty much since day one."

"Oh," I whispered. Suddenly his words from a long forgotten school yard confrontation came back to me.

_Why? Because you know how to speak Spanish? So do I and I'm…well god knows what I am but I'm not Hispanic._

'God knows what I am.' Fang didn't know anything about his birth parents, where they came from, what they did, who they were… it was sort of heart breaking.

"But," he added. "It's easier that way."

"What way?"

"Not knowing anything. I can pretend whatever I want. It may be the truth, it may not be. But the older kids? They know why they were given up. Gazzy was two. People say you don't remember things that young but it's a lie. I think people remember more from the first few years than people think. Gazzy remembers his parents. He knows why they gave him up."

"Which is?" I prompted.

"They were into drugs, and he and Angel were in their way."

I winced. How awful.

"I'm just saying…you could have it worse." Fang said quietly as he turned to look at the landscape before us. "Your family loves you. So you and your mom fought. She'll get over it."

"I guess," I sighed. I felt awful that I'd raised such a commotion when there were people like Fang, Angel, and Gazzy who'd been to hell and back, and were still living there! That didn't mean that I wasn't mad at my mom for what she'd said, it just put it into a new perspective.

"You know if you're not careful you may actually start displaying emotion." I warned Fang after a few minutes of silence.

A smile spread over his face.

"That and you're becoming almost as wordy as Nudge." I shuddered at the thought. At least he wasn't going on about different colors of nail polish.

"You've just scared me into silence." He assured me with a chuckle.

_I guess tonight's not as bad as I thoughts it would be, _I thought as I sat with Fang watching the moon slowly creep its way up into the sky.

Suddenly Fang spoke. "Is that a car?" I looked down the dirt road and noticed a car quickly making its way towards us.

"I thought you said nobody really comes here." I questioned as I got to my feet. The car came closer still.

"I did," he admitted, coming to stand next to me. The car stopped outside of the caves ledge.

That's when blue and red lights started flashing.

"Freeze! Put your hands where I can see them."

* * *

><p><strong>Oh and the shit hits the fan! What do you think will happen next?<strong>

**Closed captioning brought to you by Google Translate: "I'm very dissapointed in you! Give me one reason why I shouldn't punish you!"**

**Read and Review!**

**Peace!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: JP never got anyone arrested. I did.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10<strong>

I sat handcuffed in front of a cluttered, beat up desk. An outdated computer sat in the right corner and old Styrofoam coffee cups created rings on the old wood to the left. Papers were scattered across the rest of the desks surface just waiting to give some unsuspecting person a paper cut.

A man in his forties, my arresting officer, reclined in a rolling office chair on the opposite side of the desk from me. While he was supporting an impressive mustache he seemed to lack the capability to grow any hair on his gleaming head. I glared at him through a curtain of my own hair while I mentally cursed Fang out.

My night had gone from okay to hell in a matter of seconds.

As it turned out the cave that Fang had taken me to was government property used in some research projects, conducted in the old decrepit ranger station that was an actual research post. One of the scientists there had called the police when he'd seen two teenagers heading up to the cliff for god knows what reason.

The police, having had many tips similar to this one in the past, came out to investigate. There they had found me and Fang alone in a cave at eleven thirty something on a school night, surrounded by booze.

They'd arrested us immediately.

As I was being Mirandized I had cursed Fang out at the top of my lungs. We were placed into the same squad car where I'd continued to call him every dirty name in the book, both Spanish and English, until we'd arrived at the police station. From that point I had spent the past two hours being finger printed, DNA tested, and mug shot. The police had called my parents, much to my protest, and they were on their way.

The officer, A. Sheridan according to his nametag, picked up a pen and started clicking it slowly but persistently. I ignored it at first, I knew he was trying to annoy me, but he was doing a really good job of it and soon enough I snapped.

"Can you at least take off the cuffs?" I asked, holding up my hands to display that I was, indeed, still handcuffed. The wonderfully attractive metal bracelets were heavier than they appeared and starting to hurt my wrists.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry. You're not in an interrogation room, you can't be without a lawyer, so as long as you're out here you need to be handcuffed."

"I don't need a fricken lawyer. I already told you what happened." I ground out.

"And what would that be again?" He asked me.

I glared at him. He was dancing on my last nerve and I seriously doubted he knew what to expect when I snapped. Then again, snapping and showing him probably wouldn't be the smartest of moves when I was surrounded by a dozen other police officers. I finally decided to answer him, if not to reiterate what I'd already said.

"I didn't know that we were trespassing. I figured it was nature, you know, for public use. Its close enough to the nature trails to guess as much."

He nodded.

"And the sign in front of the ranger's station didn't tip you off. You know, the big 'do not trespass sign'?"

I intensified my glare, reevaluating my decision to try and maintain my cool disposition.

"There are a few holes in your faulty logic. Actually, your logic is looking a lot like Swiss Cheese. First of all, it was dark, I couldn't see a damn thing. Second of all, from what very little I _could_ see that station looked abandoned, you really should tell them to invest in some paint or something. And third of all, if I'd seen a 'do not trespass' sign don't you think I would have listened to it and not trespassed? Or do you think I can't read as well?"

He straightened his posture and glared right back at me.

"And what about the alcohol?"

"Again with the Swiss Cheese! God damn it! Seriously? First of all," I held up my hand bound and started ticking off my reasons as I went. "Do I look drunk to you? Seem it? _Smell it?_ No! Besides you guys did a breathalyzer and a field sobriety test on me! I passed! Second of all those booze were long since dry! You took my DNA, compare it to whatever is on the lids! I never touched that crap! Third of all, do whatever fancy test you have in that little forensic tool kits you guys have to figure out that _I've never drank before. _I don't intend to either." I had been leaning forward in my seat as I chewed him out. He seemed to lean back in an attempt to escape me.

"What were you doing there in the first place?" He asked.

"As I'm sure F-Nick told you, as I've _already _told you, I wanted to go somewhere quiet to think." I admitted.

"And why would that be?"

"Damn you police are so nosey." I complained. "Fine. I got in a fight with my mom earlier and I didn't want to be home. I went to the park but there were kids there and it was noisy. Nick found me there and told me he knew a quiet place. That's how I ended up there."

"So you're saying it's all Nick's fault." He stated.

"Yes! No! I don't know!" I groaned.

"That's a lot of contradictions right there." He pointed out.

"Look!" I sighed and looked down the hall where they had led Fang. They'd separated us because I'd kept cursing a blue streak towards him. "Do I blame Nick that I was in the cave? Yes. Do I think he meant for this to happen? No. Do I think he knew we were trespassing? I have no fricken clue."

I lifted my handcuffed hands and attempted to brush fallen strands of hair from my face. It didn't work so well. The sleeves of Fang's jacket slid over my fingers and I couldn't use them to aid me.

"All I want is for this misunderstanding to be done with. We weren't aware we were trespassing and we didn't cause any harm while we were up there. We weren't even there for long! Not even an hour! Why do we have to go through all of this? Can't you let us off with a warning?" I leaned forward and put on my begging eyes. I'd picked up a few tips from Angel that day I'd babysat her and put them to the test. "I have a scholarship that I _need _so I can go to college. If I get arrested that goes away. I don't want that to happen over a _mistake."_

He leaned forward, his elbows on his desk as he looked at me. His expression softened slightly.

"You may not have caused damage but you still trespassed. And then there's the matter of the alcohol."

I groaned and flopped back in my seat, my eyelids drooping under the stress of my day and the late hour. Maybe I could get a few minutes of rest…

"Max!"

Or not.

I shot up in my seat and winced as I heard my parents voices shout across the room.

My dad came storming across the room, followed closely by my mom, leaving their police escort trailing behind them. I saw Marcy in the distance, accompanied by a very sleepy Angel and Gazzy, heading off towards where Fang was being held.

"Mom, Dad." I sighed as they came to stand by my side.

I closed my eyes and waited for the shouting to start. I was taken completely off guard when I felt my mother's arms wrap around my shoulders instead.

"Oh Max," she whispered in my ear. "You scared me so badly! I didn't know what happened to you! And then the police called!"

"What happened?" My father demanded, one hand resting on my shoulder as he stared at Officer Sheridan.

"Miss Martinez here, along with her friend Mr. Carroway, were caught trespassing on government property. Alcohol was found at the arresting scene."

Mom gasped and Dad's grip on my shoulder tightened while I cried out in indignation.

"Hey! Tell it right!" I demanded before turning to my parents. "We didn't know we were trespassing. The empty bottles were there when we got there. I'm one hundred percent sober, they ran tests to prove it."

"Well then why are we still here? And why is my daughter still handcuffed?" My father demanded of the officer. "Seems pretty open and close to me."

"We've had several reports of teenagers sneaking up to the cave in question. How are we to know that your daughter hasn't partaken in drinking there on another occasion?"

"Not that it would matter now," Dad objected. "You can't arrest her for something you can't prove. Besides, what person hasn't drunk underage at some point?"

"I didn't drink!" I objected. Both men ignored me and the officer continued.

"The point is if we prove she's been there before we can prove that she knew she was trespassing—"

"I didn't know!"

"In which case we'd have to arrest her." He finished despite my objections.

"So what happens now?" Mom asked from beside me.

"Well, we've taken a DNA sample and once we get the results we'll be able to incriminate or clear your daughter. If we clear her all charges will be dropped."

"Nick too?" I asked immediately.

He nodded.

"Nick too,"

"Thank god," I said in a sigh of relief. I may be pissed at him but I didn't want him being arrested for an honest mistake.

"How long will that take?" Mom asked.

"DNA takes ten days. We've got one or two cases that take precedence so it will be processed after them. Once that's done we'll compare the results and act accordingly. Give it two or three weeks. In the meantime," he said as he got up and walked around the desk. He held a key in one hand and gestured for me to give him my hands with the other, "I have to ask you not to leave the city." He pushed the jacket sleeves back and unlocked my cuffs. I snatched my hands back quickly, rubbing where the handcuffs had chafed my skin.

"Not a problem," My father answered for me.

"Wait!" I objected. "I have a final track competition in Helena next Friday!" It was my last high school track meet ever! It was already mid May and I graduated in three weeks. How could I miss my last track meet?

"I'm sorry," the officer said. "But I'm going to have to ask you to miss it."

"What am I going to say to Paul? I'm the only one who runs my event!" I cried, desperately.

"Try the truth. In the meantime, don't leave Philipsburg."

* * *

><p><strong>And things finally start getting interesting! Thank you guys for reviewing! I have to say, I seem to have lost all concept of time lately. It was four days since my last update before I realized it. I apologize. Things have been hectic lately. Anyway, you don't care about that. I only want to make the point that I'm doing my best to update once or twice a week. <strong>

**Read and Review!**

**Peace!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Just a heads up, this chapter is mostly about passing time...bridging the gap so to speak. Sorry if its a little confusing.**

**Disclaimer: James Patterson owns.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 11<strong>

"You _what_?" Nudge and Iggy demanded in unison, staring at me in an expression that resembled a fish gasping out of water. I shifted uncomfortably. This was never a conversation I expected to have with my friends.

"I got arrested…I think. I'm not sure. They haven't charged me yet but I was cuffed and put in a cop car."

"Oh this is just too good!" Iggy crowed. "Maximum Martinez arrested. I told you that your violence would one day get you in trouble."

"It wasn't my violence you asshat, it was my stupidity." I sighed and finished telling them the story.

"So the new guy got you arrested. Wow Maxie what were you and Mr. Dreamy _really _doing up there?" Iggy cackled.

"Iggy," I warned in a deceptively calm voice, "Shove it before I do it for you."

"Wow Max, were you this assertive with him last night?"

I punched him.

In my defense I did give him fair warning. And it's not like I broke his nose or anything. I just popped him in the jaw so he'd stop talking.

As it was he squealed like a pig and went running off in another direction.

"You know Max, I'd appreciate it if you didn't impair my boyfriend's kissing abilities." Nudge said levelly as she watched Iggy running in a zig zag pattern down the road.

"I'll try to keep that in mind."

"So what really happened? I mean, it's not like you to just follow some guy you don't really know."

"Well…I do sort of know him." I admitted.

"What? What do you mean?" She asked, confused.

Nudge was only aware of the small conversations between me and Fang that other people told her about. I'd never told her about his accusations against me and my family dynamics—she hadn't given me the chance on that one—and I hadn't told her about that night I babysat his foster siblings. I would never mention the conversation that went on between us that night, or last night, but I started to explain to her that I'd talked to him a few more times than I let on. I hadn't blindly trusted a stranger last night; I'd just made a bad judgment concerning someone I already knew.

"Why didn't you tell me, Max?" She asked me, sounding slightly hurt.

I shrugged. "I tired to, once, but you accused him of asking me on a date and didn't let me finish."

"No I didn't—oh. Oh! Oopse! I'm sorry, Max! I just got excited that night! I mean, can you blame me? The thought of my best friend _finally _getting a boyfriend? It was so exciting!" She got a dreamy look in her eyes.

"You're looking for romance in all the wrong places. Besides, my parents have forbade me from seeing him again." I crinkled my nose in disgust at the thought of me being forbidden to do something. "My point is," I continued, "that I made a mistake last night and now I have to explain to Coach _why _I can't go to the Helena meet on Friday."

Nudge winced in sympathy. "Yeah. Good luck with that one.

...

Coach was _pissed_.

I'd been forced to tell him an overview of the truth and he was none too happy. Mostly because he lost his star athlete for the trip and not because I was arrested. After a thorough talking to he let me head home to face my parents.

My parents.

I'd expected them to be furious about the whole situation but mostly Mom felt as if she were to blame. The way she explained it was that if she hadn't fought with me I wouldn't have ran off and been so reckless. While I wanted to point out that it wasn't her fault I didn't want to deal with the drama that would come when she realized it wasn't.

As it was she decided that as punishment for my actions, aside from not being able to see Fang, which I wasn't too upset about because I was still pissed at him, I wasn't allowed to hang out with my friends and they made me spend the weeks before the DNA test was completed studying for my physics final, with the assistance of a private tutor. My only hope of passing the class was pulling a B or higher on the exam.

I felt like they might as well have thrown me in a jail cell at that point but I knew better than to complain.

As finals and graduation grew closer and closer my pending arrest was pushed to the back of my mind. The track team had managed to win the meet in Helena without me, even though they placed third in my event when I was almost sure to the point of cockiness that I would have placed first. I was rushed to complete any missing work from my classes and prepare for exams.

As I took my exams one by one I was confident in passing each of them, until it came to physics.

I was worried. I'd actually paid attention in my tutoring lessons and had been doing well enough, but I didn't know if well enough would be enough for me to pass.

The exam was hell. There were confusing charts and graphs, one question asked me to plot something that I had no clue how to do, but other than that I worked through each question slowly but surely. After the exams were collected, per my mother's request, I stayed behind in class and waited for Mrs. Rush to grade my exam.

After ten minutes of staring at her purple pen, wincing at each X she placed, she called me to her desk.

She wasn't smiling. Was that a bad sign? No, Mrs. Rush never smiled at me.

She handed me my test and with a heavy heart I flipped it over.

Eighty-two percent.

"I passed?" I breathed, looking up at her for confirmation.

She nodded. "You passed the exam and my class. Congratulations."

"Yes!" I did a fist pump and a happy dance. I passed! My mom wouldn't flip out at me anymore! I was done with exams! I was done with high school! I had passed!

"Thanks!" I handed her my test back and ran out of the room before she had a chance to fail me for something else.

….

"I passed!" I yelled as I ran through the front door.

"What?" Mom and Dad were both waiting for me in the living room as I ran to them.

"I passed physics! Eighty-two percent on my final! You are looking at a soon to be high school graduate!" I squealed, a very un-Max-like move.

"Congratulations!" Dad laughed while Mom came up and hugged me tightly.

"I knew you could do it!" She whispered to me.

….

"Maximum Martinez," I smirked as I marched across the schools stage to receive my diploma. The entire ceremony was cheesy and something I would never repeat if you paid me but I couldn't help but feel proud of myself for making it this far. The last quarter of the school year had been much harder than I'd ever expected and I was glad that I'd made it through in the end.

I shook the guidance counselors hand and took my diploma case before walking off the stage. I was the last of my friends to be called, Nudge, Iggy, and hell even Fang, having names earlier in the alphabet than me.

Since the class sizes at Lerner were relatively small the graduation finished up within an hour and I was declared a high school graduate.

Nudge and I did the cliché best friend hug in our robes while Iggy photo-bombed the moment, and I took photos with each of my family members.

As I was leaving the auditorium I heard someone yell my name. I turned around just in time to have Angel plow into me, hugging me tightly around the waist.

"Max!" she squealed. "I missed you! Congratulations."

I laughed and scooped her up into my arms and hugged her back.

"I missed you too, you little monster." She giggled and hugged me tighter.

"Why haven't you come back? Fang's missed you too." She demanded as she pulled back and pouted.

I felt slightly flush at that comment. "Things have been busy Ange." I explained as Gazzy, Marcy, and Fang walked up to me. Gazzy immediately gave me a hug and as soon as both he and his sister were detached from my person Marcy came up and gave me a hug as well.

"Good job sweetie." She told me.

"Thanks," I smiled at her before looking at Fang. He raised his hand in acknowledgement.

"I um, need to talk to you for a minute." I told him.

My parents hadn't told me that I could talk to him yet, they'd probably never be okay with it, but I'd be eighteen in two months and at the moment I just really needed to talk to Fang.

He nodded and we separated from the crowd so we could talk.

"I wanted to…to…damn, I almost never apologize so this is hard." I admitted as I scratched the back of my neck in a nervous habit.

"Apologize? Why are you going to apologize?" He asked, quirking one eyebrow up in a questioning manner.

"Because I was blaming you for everything that night when it was just a stupid mistake." I admitted.

He nodded. "Well, just so you know, I really didn't know we were trespassing."

"I believe you."

"Have you heard anything back on the DNA? Are they finally done screwing with us?" He asked.

I shook my head. "I haven't heard anything yet. They said two to three weeks but they're the police. They're never on time."

"I guess, I—"

"Max!" My father's voice broke through what he was about to say. I whipped my head around and saw my family waiting for me by my dad's shiny black BMW. Dad was glaring at Fang while Mom stood by his side with her arms crossed over her chest. Ella had taken refuge in the car, she'd been uncomfortable around our parents ever since my maybe-arrest.

"I guess I should go." I said as I turned back to Fang. "I'll see you around. Hey! Wait! You…you aren't leaving just yet are you? Is Marcy letting you stay around?"

"Well I'm definitely staying until the police say I can leave the city. After that," he shrugged. "I don't know yet."

"Alright well don't…don't leave without saying goodbye."

"Max!" My dad called impatiently.

"I won't." He promised before I headed back to my family.

….

It was in the middle of our celebration dinner that night that Dad got a call from Officer Sheridan asking the three of us to come down to the station immediately.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry it took so long to update. My Fanfiction account wouldn't let me log on for a few days. Anyway, keep reading, things really start to pick up starting next chapter! <strong>

**Read and Review!**

**Peace! **


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: JP ownes**

**Chapter 12**

Contrary to the last time I was here, the police station was alive with activity. I didn't know if that was due to the more decent hour or because they'd gotten a hot case. Then again, I didn't know what constituted a hot case in Nowhere Montana. When we identified ourselves at the front desk my parents and I were immediately assigned an escort. I assumed that we'd be led to Officer Sheridan's desk again but I was wrong. Instead we were lead to the back of the busy office space and to a door labeled '_Chief Winslow'_ in big bold letters.

"What's going on?" I asked our escort, a young woman in her twenties with long black hair bound back in a bun. "Aren't we going to see Officer Sheridan?"

"He is waiting for you in the Chiefs office." She informed me before she knocked on the door with three quick rasps.

The door was opened by another officer; this one had a thick brown moustache and a portly belly. All he was missing was a ten gallon hat and a sheriff's star and he'd belong in the Old West.

He nodded to our young escort and she turned on her heels and left us alone with him. I shifted nervously between my parents.

"My name is Deputy Cross, please do come in." He gestured us forward. My father squeezed my shoulder once and went in followed by my mother. I took up the rear. Inside the office was littered with awards and newspaper clippings preaching the success of the county police. Sitting at a dark wood desk with a single thick folder in front of him was a bald, once-handsome man in a suit. He'd aged past good looks but underneath his lined exterior I could picture him in his handsome youth. Chief Winslow. At his right stood Officer Sheridan. There was also another man in a suit standing in the background. Something about the way he leaned against the wall, arms crossed, made me dislike him. Maybe it was the air of arrogance he gave off. The Deputy closed the door behind us.

"Mr. and Mrs. Martinez, Maximum, it's nice to see you all again." Officer Sheridan said as he shook hands with my father. _Nice? Does he find it pleasurable to have teenage girls cuffed at his desk?_ I demanded of my sick sense of humor. I had most definitely _not _had a nice time. "Sorry to call you in at such a late hour, but its rather important."

"What's going on?" My mother asked. "Why are there so many people here for the results of a simple DNA test?" She reached towards me and grasped my left hand in her right as she spoke, her eyes flickering between the Chief and the Suit.

"Mrs. Martinez, I'm Chief Winslow and I'm in charge of all the going-ons of this prescient. We called you in today because Miss Martinez's DNA results did pop up in CODIS."

"CODIS?" I asked. "Isn't that the database that has all of the DNA collected from crimes and criminals?" I asked.

All of the adults in the room turned to look at me, questions in their expressions.

"What?" I demanded, holding my ground. "So I watch crime shows, sue me!"

"Er, yes, well you're correct. Would you all please have a seat and we'll explain everything?" The Chief asked.

My parents slowly sank down in their chairs, their postures stiff. I followed in suit.

The Chief sank down into his chair and stared at all three of intently before continuing. The other officers in the room, with the exception of the Suit, sank down into their own seats, obviously preparing for a long story.

"CODIS stands for Combined DNA Index System. In CODIS the United States has a record of all DNA taken from crime scenes and arrested persons. You, Miss Martinez, had your DNA entered into the system once it was processed. It doesn't matter if you were charged for a crime, just arrested." He said quickly as I opened my mouth to object to that. _I am not a criminal, _I thought, outraged. "When new DNA is added to the system it is automatically scanned to see if it matches any other open crime in CODIS. When we ran your DNA Miss Martinez we got a hit—"

"Seriously!" I interjected. "I never drank any of that alcohol! It was my first and last time in that cave, I swear to god! I'm not a criminal!"

"No, Miss Martinez, your DNA didn't match the samples taken from the bottles at the scene. You are cleared of that crime, as is Mr. Carroway. He has already been informed of this." Officer Sheridan assured me.

"Then why the hell did I get dragged down here?" I demanded as I took the time to glare at each and every one of them, even the Suit, who hadn't said a word this entire time._ Maybe he's a new guy, _I thought…_no he looks too old to be just starting here._

"Max," my mother scolded while Dad nodded in agreement with me.

"As I was saying," the Chief continued. "We got a hit on your DNA in the system. It wasn't a one hundred percent match. CODIS matched some of your alleles—your genetic makeup—to another person. A familial match—"

"Wait!" My mother tried to interject as she jumped to her feet.

"A parental match." He finished.

I blinked as I tried to process his words. _Parental? _What was he talking about? Was he on crack or something? I looked over to my parents who both seemed to be at a loss for words as they stared at me with an expression I can only call horror.

"What?" I choked out as I looked at my parents. Suddenly all of Fangs accusations against my family came rushing through my mind. _Martinez, isn't that a Hispanic name? Shouldn't you be, you know, Hispanic_…_you don't look anything like them… so you speak Spanish, so what…_

"When we ran your DNA through CODIS we came up with a match to your biological father." The Chief told me. I stared at him, opening and closing my mouth in an attempt to form some coherent question.

"Biological….as in, real? Like, birth father?" I whispered.

"Correct….you….you didn't know about this?" The Chief asked as realization dawned on him. He looked worried and embarrassed.

I turned back to my parents, my head was swimming.

"So….so what? You….you're not my dad?" I asked slowly while I looked at my father. "What? D-d-did you have an affair or something?" I asked, looking at Mom.

"No!" She cried out, her face was pale and she was shaking. "I never cheated on your father I—"

"You what?" I cut her off. "What the hell is going on?" I demanded as I turned back to the Chief. "Tell me what you found out, _right now!_"

"Well we—"

"After they matched your DNA in CODIS I was called out," Suit said as he stood up and came to stand by the Chief. "My name is Agent Tulsin, FBI." He said as he pulled a badge out of his pocket and showed it to us.

"Why were you called?" I demanded, my heart beating erratically in my chest. _This is not happening, this is not happening, this is…_

"The man your DNA matched, your biological father, has been under observation by the FBI for years. His name is Jeb Batchelder and he's a genetic scientist that has been supposedly working on the cure for cancer for over twenty-five years. A few years ago the FBI caught wind of illegal genetic testing being done by his facility where he was the head of the operation. We couldn't prove anything but we did manage to get him arrested for some small tax fraud. It was a cheap attempt and he was out within a week. But that is why his DNA is in the system.

"Since then the FBI has been keeping a watch on him. Three years ago he and his wife, Anne Batchelder, formerly Anne Walker, went underground. We haven't found them yet but we have proof that they are involved with illegal activities and must be stopped."

He took the folder from in front of the Chief and flipped it open and put it on the desk in front of me. Inside was a bunch of legal mumbo jumbo and a single picture from a newspaper claiming to be the 'future of science everywhere'. A couple stood side by side staring out at the camera. The man was tall and wore wire rim glasses. He had blue eyes and slightly unkempt blond hair. The woman was shorter, about my height, and had long blond hair with natural brown streaks. She had brown eyes. _My brown eyes,_ I realized as the room began to spin. They both wore white lab coats.

"She looks like you," Agent Tulsin commented.

"No," I said slowly, choking on my own words. "_I_ look like _her_."

I turned to look at my parents….parents? What were they? It was worse than I'd originally thought; my mom didn't have an affair. She wasn't my mom. I felt like I was going to be sick. I pressed my hands to my stomach and glared at them. Mom was paler than before as she looked between the picture in the folder and me. Dad had one hand on Moms shoulder and was watching me with somber eyes.

"You lied to me? I-I mean all parents lie to their kids about something or another but _this? _I'm adopted? You never even told me! What's worse, Dad, you always told me I had Moms eyes!" I felt tears of anger and betrayal starting to build behind my eyes. I didn't know if I could keep them back.

"Max we never meant—" Mom was crying as she reached out to touch my arm.

"Don't pull that bullshit!" I screeched and dodged her hand, shooting from my seat and putting the chair between us. I crossed my arms over my chest. "You knew exactly what you were doing. Explain."

I knew we had spectators but I didn't care. I wanted the truth. I wanted answers.

"Well the stork really did drop you off at our doorstep. Almost eighteen years ago you were left on our doorstep. You were the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen," mom sobbed. "So small and sweet, and you were only a few days old. There was no note, only a name embroidered into your baby blanket. We went to the police. Nobody came forward and we were glad. We loved you so much already. So we adopted you." She was hiccupping and almost incoherent by the end.

"And you never told me?" I whispered, disappointment piercing my heart.

"We did what we thought was best." Dad said, speaking for the first time. "People thought you were our child genetically and you _are _our daughter so we thought it was best to leave things be."

"That wasn't your decision!" I exclaimed. "I had a right to know!" I spun to look at the Agent. "As much as I'm sure you love to ruin families for the hell of it I'm guessing you have an ulterior motive for telling me this. What is it?"

He looked surprised at my words, whether it was from the venom I spoke them with or the accuracy of my guess I didn't know.

"Jeb and Anne Batchelder are two of the most sought after criminals by the FBI. We want to stop their inhumane testing but to do that we need to know where they are. But if they're going to come out of hiding—"

"They need a reason." I finished dully. "I'm bait."

He winced. "In harsher terms, yes." He admitted. "We believe that the appeal of them seeing the daughter they gave up will be too great for them to ignore. They love nothing more than a good success story and you, star track athlete, good student, rich family, would hold an allure to them. We think that they'd try to contact you. And that's where the FBI comes in."

It was actually a pretty good plan, with one exception: they'd left me. They didn't want me then, why would they want me now?

"No!" Mom—what was she? Objected. "She's a minor. You'd need parental consent and I'm not giving it."

"Haven't you been listening to any of this?" I demanded as I glared at her. "You're not my mother."

She recoiled as if I'd slapped her, more tears welling in her eyes. Dad—Juan?, wrapped his arms around her in comfort.

"We are you legal parents Maximum Martinez and what we say goes." He turned to the officers. "I think you've done enough here. We're leaving and we'll have nothing more to do with this scheme."

"But—" Agent Tulsin objected.

"Nothing." He replied curtly as he stood up, dragging his wife to her feet as well. "Max, come on."

"I-I," I wanted to object but what else was there to do? Was home really my home if I was living with strangers? There was only one thing I knew at this point: I wanted the lies to stop.

In the end I followed, my tears falling free at last.

* * *

><p><strong>Let me know what you all think! Suggestions, criticisms, guesses, I'm all ears! Read and Review!<strong>

**Peace!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: James Patterson owns MR, thought I can understand how you'd confuse the two of us: we're both erratic with our publishing schedules. We promise a release date, and then it gets pushed back. Typical writers!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 13<strong>

I got as far as the parking lot before I couldn't continue walking in a straight line. My world was spinning and more often than not my feet felt like they were planted on the ceiling. It gave a whole new meaning to the saying 'my world was spinning out of control'.

I put on the breaks and refused to go another step with my so called parents.

"Max," Dad said in a tired voice as he stood three steps ahead of me and motioned for me in a coxing manner. Mom stood beside the car, eyes pleading. "Please, let's just go home."

"No," I said softly. "I'm not going anywhere with you."

"Yes, you are." He said in his 'final' tone, the one that had me running to obey when I was younger. Not anymore.

I stood resolute and shook my head, hands on my hips. "I'm calling Nudge. I'm staying at her house for tonight." I decided. There was no way I was going to sleep in the same house as them tonight, let alone ride in the same car. I needed time to think and to process what I'd just learned. It was not the time to have them talking my ear off as they tried to justify their lies.

"You'll stay in your own home," He argued, adopting a disposition that was equally as combatant as my own. "You are our daughter, biological or not, and what we say goes."

"There's a certain level of trust shared between family members. I don't trust you at all. Legal documents be damned." I rubbed my temples as the throbbing I'd felt since this whole issue arose, intensified.

"Max—"

"Look," I interrupted. "I need time to calm down and think and you two probably need to get your story straight because I assure you that the moment I feel like I am able to be in the same room as you without ripping you a new one I'll want answers. You'd better make sure you've got some good ones." With that I turned my back to them and slipped back inside the stations doors to hide from their view.

After my brave words I didn't need them to see the tears escape down my face or my shoulders shake with suppressed sobs. I felt my throat constrict painfully tight and my breathing become ragged and strained. I collapsed into a foldable chair, ignoring the bolt that dug into my side, and tried to concentrate on just breathing.

I heard the distant sound of the car starting and the flash of lights through the glass front doors led me to assume my 'parents' had left.

What was I even supposed to call them? For seventeen years they were known as Mom and Dad. Mamá and Papá. My parents.

Now?

I had strangers for parents.

I must have sat there for twenty minutes, glaring at any officer who tried to talk to me, until I regained control of my breathing enough to call Nudge and ask her to pick me up.

"Max are you alright?" Her voice sounded worried and I could almost picture the facial expression that accompanied her question. Her eyebows would be raised to her curly hairline, the left side of her mouth tugging down slightly. I knew her facial expressions like the palm of my hand after a lifetime of friendship. At least I knew that part of my life was real.

I heard the sound of a door slamming and a car starting on her end of the line.

"Yeah," I said, my voice thick from my tears. "I'll meet you out front."

I hung up before she had a chance to respond. I clambered to my feet, wincing as I stretched my stiff muscles, and shuffled out of the station and into the parking lot.

The moon was high in the sky by now; it was past ten o'clock at night.

It wasn't until Nudge pulled up in her bright red Saturn Ion, dressed up all nice and fancy that I realized she had probably been out celebrating her graduation. Walking across that stage felt like a million years ago and not earlier today. How could so much change in such a short time?

"Oh sweetie!" Nudge gasped as I slipped into the passenger seat, trying to keep my tear stricken face out of the moonlight and failing miserably. "What happened? Don't tell me they're charging you for that mistake! That's outrageous. I'm going in there right now and giving them a piece of my mind!" She put the car in park and was half way out of her seat before I grabbed her forearm.

"No Nudge. I'm cleared." I assured her quickly, tugging her back inside the car.

"Oh," she plopped back down on her seat and shut the door. "Then why are you crying?" She asked me as she turned on the overhead light and scrutinized my face. "And don't deny it. There are some girls who can cry and look beautiful. You are not one of them." She informed me.

"I know," I said miserably. "My face gets all red and splotchy." It was one of the many reasons I'd always hated crying, aside from the weak feeling it left me with. "I hate it."

"So, if you hate how it makes you look why are you doing it? What's wrong?" She pressed, leaning forward to wipe my tears away with the sleeve of her jacket.

"Nothing just—can I stay at your house tonight?" I turned away from her touch. It reminded me of how my mom used to wipe my tears when I was younger.

"Only if you tell me why." She said stoutly, still leaning over the center armrest invading my personal bubble. She was good. She knew my game and knew the only way for her to get the truth out of me would be to put down a condition. And sadly I had no other place to go so I couldn't avoid the question.

"I'll tell you when we get to your house."

…

"So…you're…you're…" Nudge struggled to articulate.

"Adopted." I finished for her as I pushed the wet tendrils of my blond hair out of my face and pulled my bathrobe tighter around me. I'd put off telling Nudge about my night for as long as possible. I'd insisted on a snack and taking a shower before she'd finally cornered me in her room and forced me tell her of my nights revelations.

I'd been avoiding saying it out loud since I'd first uttered the word back at the police station. Adopted. It sounded like a death sentence now. I was being dramatic; I knew that but I couldn't force myself to care. This sort of thing only ever happened in the movies and books. And as of late my life was starting to feel more like a soap opera than anything else.

Nudge sat with her legs crossed at the top of her bed while I sat on the far corner inspecting my chewed fingernails, a nervous habit I'd quit a few years ago, well, up until tonight.

"I just…I don't…I mean I never thought…" She continued to tripped over her words while her eyes flickered around the room looking everywhere but at me.

I pushed myself off of her bed and started pacing between the edge of her bed and her poster and picture covered pink walls.

"That I'd be adopted? Me either. It never crossed my mind."

_Liar, _a part of me said. _Fang knew. He put the idea in your head. _

_But I never entertained it! _I fought myself. _I never thought it was possible. I thought that my parents were _my parents _not substitutes. Everyone said that I had my mother's eyes—_

"Max?" Nudge interrupted my inner turmoil as she finally looked me in the eye.

I paused where I stood in front of her dresser and turned to look in the mirror, meeting her gaze through the glass.

"What?" I asked, realizing that this probably wasn't the first time she'd called my name in the last few minutes.

"Your muttering. You never mutter."

"Well forgive me for reacting strangely. I've never dealt with anything remotely close to this before." I brushed my hair out of my face again as I scrutinized myself in the mirror. Blond hair. Tall. White skin. The exact opposite of Martinez genetics. "I'm stupid for never noticing." I spun around to look at Nudge. "Look at me." I commanded of her. "I'm a blond haired white girl and I've been convinced my entire life that I was Hispanic." I shook my head in disbelief.

"Well," Nudge sighed. "Maybe if you didn't refuse to look in a mirror you'd have noticed that earlier and asked questions."

I laughed despite myself. Of course she'd pick on me for my lack of caring when it came to my looks. Most days it seemed like her personal mission to press her fashion opinions on me.

"Yeah well I haven't heard you, or anyone else for that matter, comment on it."

"Well you know what they say: Spanish people have an attitude. And so do you."

"Nudge!" I objected. "I most certainly do not!"

"If you looked in the mirror right now you'd see it in your eyes." She giggled.

I threw a pillow at her.

"Look Max, I know your upset at your parents but they love you. They kept this from you because, in their hearts, you are their daughter, DNA or not. They probably didn't want any other words confusing that relationship."

"It's not just them, Nudge." I sighed as I plopped down on the edge of her bed once more.

"Who's left?" She asked me.

"My parents…my _real_ parents. Why didn't they want me?" I whispered the last part, my voice breaking at the end. Why indeed. I was barley a few days old when they got rid of me. Dumped me on the doorstep of a random stranger. Who did that? Certainly nobody who cared for their child.

What did I do wrong? What can a _baby _do wrong?

"Oh Max," Nudge wrapped her arms around my shoulders and squeezed me tightly in a hug, not letting go. "Whoever your parents are they don't know what they missed out on. Besides, maybe they did it for you. Maybe they wanted you to have a better life than they could give you. Who knows? Maybe they couldn't afford a baby."

Not true.

While I had told Nudge the basics, that my father's DNA was in CODIS and that's what brought this whole revelation to light, I hadn't mentioned what an upscale, dangerous criminal the FBI was accusing him of being. I had no doubt in my mind that the head of cancer research lab slash genetic scientist couldn't afford raising a baby. Financially at least. _Maybe I was just getting in the way of their work. _I thought dully.

No matter which way Nudge and I spun it the truth was still like a slap in my face.

_They didn't want me._

* * *

><p><strong>I know this chapter was a bit of an emotional roller coaster but I couldn't help myself. I can't speak for anyone in Max's shoes, but I know if I was in her place I'd be an emotional wreck. Read and Review please!<strong>

**Peace! **


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: JP owns MR**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 14<strong>

I slipped out before Nudge woke up the next morning. I left her a note apologizing for my early departure and excused my actions under the pretense of setting things straight. She'd automatically assume I was talking about my 'parents'. I really mean with the police.

I caught a bus to the station and arrived by seven. I slipped into the busy lobby unnoticed and waited for the man at the front desk to realize I was actually in need of assistance.

When he did I asked for Officer Sheridan. He may have been the asshole that arrested me but he was also the man who could, hopefully, get me what I wanted. And I could always pull the 'you arrested an innocent girl and put her through hell' card if need be. I wasn't above fighting dirty.

When he emerged from the crowded office room and into the slightly less crowded waiting area he seemed surprised to see me. Either that or he was surprised at the state I was in. The dark circles under my eyes testified to the sporadic two hours of sleep I'd gotten the night before.

I was utterly exhausted but resolute in my decision.

"How can I help you Max?" He asked as he led me to his desk and sat down behind it. I sat in the same spot that I'd been handcuffed in three weeks ago.

"I want to do it." I told him. "I want to draw out my real parents. I'll help Agent Tulsin."

Officer Sheridan winced as he looked at me with a gaze I could only identify as sympathy.

"Max," he sighed. "You can't do that."

"Why not?" I demanded. "It's easy. You guys put it out through your connections that I've showed up and bing, band, boom you've got my parents."

"No Max, _legally _we can't do anything without your parents consent."

"We're trying to find my parents. How can they consent if they don't even know me?" I bit out.

"Your guardians," he corrected himself. "We can't do anything without the Martinez's consent."

"That's bullshit!" I burst out. "They've kept this from me my entire life, how can you expect them to agree to this?"

"I can't. But I have to respect their wishes."

I decided to change my tactic.

"Please," I broke down. Maximum Martinez never begs, yet there I was begging a police officer to throw me a bone. "I want to meet them. I have questions….I need them answered."

I employed my best interpretation of Angel's Bambi eyes as we stared at each other in silence.

"I-I'll go talk to the Chief." Sheridan said at last. "But I can't promise anything."

"Thanks," I sighed, real gratitude coloring my voice.

He got up, his chair squeaking in protest, and headed off towards the back of the station to the room that I'd been escorted to the night before.

I skimmed my eyes around the room, taking in the pleasant buzz of activity as officers chatted, typed, or answered the phone. New people were constantly entering the room while others were leaving. I took in everything from the navy color of the walls to the several windows that brightened up the room.

There were ten desks in the main room I was in. Five on each side and an aisle created between the two sides. Everyone looked content as they worked.

_You know,_ a part of me said, _aside from the fact that they continually ruin people's lives, being a cop wouldn't be a bad thing. I'd get to stand up for the little people...I'd get to wear a gun. That does have some perks. _But that was just my rebellious teenage side.

_And one stupid misfire of a gun and you've labeled yourself a killer. That's just great. Besides, I'm not _that _sloppy. _My other side begged to differ. _If Sheradin's desk has anything to say about it..._

That's when I realized that most of the officers kept their desks tidy, a drastic difference to the cluttered desk that I sat in front of. As I cast my eyes over Officer Sheridan's desk my eye caught on one of the folders in particular. My mental rant cut off short.

A fresh coffee ring was printed on its front but I'd recognize the thick file anywhere. It was the file the Chief had been holding the night before. The one that contained my parents picture.

Glancing around to make sure that nobody was paying attention to me I slipped my hand over the desk and slid the file towards me.

After another cursory glance I flipped the file open and scanned its contents. The picture of my parents glared at me from the left side where it was paper clipped over the rest of the papers in the file. I flipped the picture up and scanned the document underneath it.

**NAME: JEB BATCHELDER**

**DOB: MARCH 11, 1967**

**DESCRIPTION: 6'2", THIN, BLOND, BLUE EYES, GLASSES**

**MARITAL STATUS: MARRIED TO ANNE BATCHELDER AS OF APRIL 24TH, 1989.**

**CRIME: ILLEGAL GENETIC TESTING AND EXPERIMENTATION ON UNWITTING SUBJECTS. INHUMANE TREATMENT AND DETAINMENT. **

**FREQUENTED LOCATIONS: GERMANY (EXACT LOCATION UNKNOWN); FLORIDA EVERGLADES; NEW YORK CITY; CALIFORNIA. **

**LAST KNOWN LOCATION: THE SCHOOL (DEATH VALLEY, CALIFORNIA. BADWATER BASIN)**

The sound of a door slamming broke through my investigative haze. My eyes shot up to where I saw Officer Sheridan taking with the Chief, the light glaring off of his bald head. I quickly shut the folder and slid it back in place.

"I'm sorry Max," he said as he took his seat once more. He put his hand over the file and slid it more towards his side of the desk. "I can't do anything. The rules are the rules. If you feel the same way in two months you'll be eighteen and we can go from there. Until then, I'm sorry."

"Yeah, me too." I said as I shot up from my seat and headed out the door. "But rules are meant to be broken," I whispered to myself as I blew out of there.

….

Sneaking into your own home isn't so easy when you have a twelve year old sister with a big mouth.

"Max!" Ella yelled as she caught sight of me trying to sneak up to my room. I glared at her as thundering footsteps came towards us from the living room.

"Thanks Ells," I hissed as my parents rounded the corner. Ella winced in sympathy. Did she know what was going on? Did she know the truth before I did?

"Honey," Mom—I had nothing else to call her— said as she came to the foot of the stairs. She looked awful. Her expression was haggard, the dark circles under her eyes just adding to the effect. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail, something she rarely did, and her clothes looked like they'd been picked at random, not the careful scrutinization she gave her wardrobe every morning in an attempt to look her best.

Dad looked more or less the same, without the ponytail.

"We need to talk," she finished. "Ella go to your room."

"Why? What's going on?" She demanded. "You guys have been acting weird ever since you got home last night. And you," she spun around on me. "You didn't even come home last night and now…well now you look like you could kill somebody."

Really? All I wanted to do was get to my computer and research 'The School' from my father's file.

But I was always up for a good argument.

I raised an eyebrow at my parents. "You didn't tell her? I guess I should feel relieved that I'm not the only one being kept in the dark."

"What are you talking about?" Ella demanded, her head swiveling between me and our parents.

"Max, leave her out of this." My father warned at the same time.

As much as I wanted to defy him at the moment I didn't want to get Ella involved in our fight. It wasn't something she needed to worry about.

"Ells, I need to talk to Mom and Dad for a minute. Alone. I'll talk to you later." I assured her before heading back down the stairs and pushing past my parents. They followed me to the living room where I stopped and crossed my arms, waiting for their explanation.

"What more do you want us to say, Max?" Mom asked. "We told you everything last night."

"I don't know what I want to hear!" I yelled. "I want you to say something that will help this all make sense! I want you to say you lied at the station and that I'm really yours. I want this all to be one horrible, stressed induced nightmare and when I wake up my worst problem will be passing physics. I want to go back to before the lies." My voice broke as I blinked to keep my burning eyes from shedding tears.

Mom swallowed hard, tears glistening in her eyes as she shook her head. "I'm sorry baby, but we can't go back. What's done is done, what's said is said. All I can say is that we love you so much and we don't care where you came from, only that you made your way to us."

I fought to speak past the lump in my throat. "That's not enough."

….

In the comfort of my own room I flipped open my laptop and opened up the Google search engine.

It wasn't hard to recall the words from my father's file at the police station, I had been reciting the information mentally since I'd read it.

I searched a variety of words relating to _'The School' _and _'Badwater Basin' _and _'Death Valley' _with few results. After an hour of futile googling I typed a new search into the search box: _Jeb Batchelder._

Immediately results flooded the page. Articles from newspapers around the country popped up with titles ranging from '_Prodigal Genius' _to _'New Advances in the Science Community'. _

I scanned article after article getting to know as much as I could about my real father. He was a graduate of Johns Hopkins, he worked at MIT for a few years, he took the lead of his research team when he was only twenty six, he and his wife, Anne, along with their team of scientists, had made progress in their plight for the cure for cancer.

I also found mention of me.

Well, sort of.

One newspaper article briefly mentioned the heartache that was being felt by the Batchelder's as Anne Batchelder gave birth to a still born baby seventeen years before.

They'd covered all the bases. They didn't want anyone to know that they'd gotten rid of me. I'd been completely erased from their lives from the beginning.

Finally I found something of use.

It was a small article talking about tours being given around one of the labs that my father worked at. It was published two years ago.

_Today Crucial Cure Lab_—_also known as 'The School' by many scientists because of its vast wealth of knowledge and continual opportunities to learn—has opened its doors and allowed tours of the facilities for the first time. Now the public can see just what goes into the fight for cancer and how hard scientists work on a daily basis. Jeb Batchelder, one of the head researchers along with his wife Anne, stated that "By introducing the public to our methods we are paving the way to a more accepting and understanding future." Tours are ten dollar a person and run from ten to three on Wednesdays. _

I quickly opened another tab and typed in _'Crucial Cure Lab's, California' _into the search bar.

A map popped up with a star right over Death Valley California.

"Gotchea," I murmured.

* * *

><p><strong>Read and Review!<strong>

**Peace!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride. I do, however, own a dog that frequently likes to sit on my computer. So if there are ever any strange/random spelling mistakes in my stories, thank her.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 15<strong>

I woke up with the sun the next day. I had errands to run. My convoluted farfetched scheme had fermented in my mind overnight and all I had to do now was put it into action.

I threw on some old jeans and a t-shirt and grabbed my keys from my dresser. The house was still dark and silent as I crept down the stairs, avoiding the one creaky step with skill only acquired after several years of practice, and to the garage and unlocked my Jeep.

What I was planning to do was stupid and reckless…in other words, true Max form.

My first stop was the bank. Starting on my thirteenth birthday, I had been saving all of my money. My allowance, my birthday money, Christmas money, all of it in hopes that when I was sixteen I could buy a car. Then for my sixteenth birthday my parents had done that for me. So all of that money, plus the additional money that I'd been adding after my sixteenth birthday, was all saved up in my bank account just waiting to be used.

The smart thing to do would be to keep saving and put that money towards college expenses or a house in the future. Instead I went to the bank and withdrew the entire sum. Six thousand four hundred and seventeen dollars. My allowance _was_ pretty big.

When I walked out of the bank, after many curious stares from the bank tellers who were wondering what I was going to do with all of my money, I realized that the day had dawned dismally. Dark thunderheads threatened above, moving swiftly across the sky like an army advancing. I guess the day was reflecting my dangerous mood.

I can't say that I wasn't nervous about what I was planning on doing; I was excited, determined to find some answers, and downright nervous to be acting so recklessly.

I mean, leaving home and searching for my birth parents, who very well could have abandoned me because they didn't want me? I was probably setting myself up for disappointment on the far chance that I even found them. But I had to try; I wouldn't be Max if I didn't try.

The only problem was I didn't want to do it alone. Drive all the way to California by myself and get into trouble along the way? Not something I wanted to do alone.

And I knew just the person to help me.

….

"Please Nudge? Just do it for me! Just this once!" I begged my best friend as I stood in front of her house later that day. The clouds were getting thicker and the sky looked like it could burst at any moment. Thunder boomed overhead, reminding me of cannon fire. I was almost tempted to run for cover.

"I don't know Max…why do you need me to lie for you?" She asked hesitantly as she gripped the doorframe. She regarded me with weary eyes.

"It's not a lie per se—"

"You're asking if you can use me as an alibi to your parents while you go gallivanting somewhere overnight!" She exclaimed. "That's a lie."

_Several nights actually,_ I thought to myself. "Alright, so it is," I sighed in acknowledgement. "But don't worry. I'm not going to get you in trouble or anything. I just need to keep my mom off my back for one night. Please?"

"And where will you be?" She demanded, removing one hand from the doorframe and propping it on her hip.

"Safe," I assured her. "Nudge, I can't answer your questions right now, just, please? When have I ever asked you to do something for me?" It was a low blow but it was true. While Nudge was constantly making requests of me—not that I minded them because I love her to death—I had never asked her for any significant favor before. I was pulling that card right now.

And I saw it in her eyes. She couldn't refuse.

"Alright," she groaned. "I'll tell her you're here, but only if she calls! And if she calls after that night, I'm leaving you out to dry."

I nodded eagerly. By then I'll be far enough away.

"Thank you Nudge," I leaned forward to squeeze her in a quick hug. "I knew I could count on you!"

** ….**

The storm had broken in a fiery vengeance by the time I finished my errands. The rain beat down on me in a torrential downpour and I was beginning to doubt that anyone could hear my knocking over the noise. Never the less I pounded on the door until it was yanked open unceremoniously.

"What?" Fang demanded in an annoyed tone.

He took one look at my sorry bedraggled state and opened the door wider.

The only light in the home came from the blue glow of the television; the only sound was our breathing and the _drip drip_ of rain cascading off of me.

"Why are you here?" Fang demanded as he headed down the hallway. I didn't know if I was supposed to follow or stay so I remained at the entrance of the home. "It's dangerous outside."

He was right; the storm was generating flood and tornado warnings three counties wide. It had been a struggle to keep my Jeep on the road as I'd headed over here.

I remained silent as he reappeared at the end of the hallway, a towel in hand. As he reached me he draped it over my shoulders and gestured for me to follow him to the kitchen. I did, ringing out my hair and saturated clothes as I went.

Fang put a tea kettle of water on the stove and started making preparations for hot chocolate.

"Where are Angel and Gazzy?" I asked, listening hard for any sound that might betray their location. It was only around six at night— though the storm made it seem more like nine—it was possible they were over a friends house.

"Marcy took them out for dinner. I decided to stay." He answered shortly.

"Oh."

"So what are you here for?" He repeated himself.

I shifted nervously from foot to foot while I watched him work around the kitchen. How was I going to put this? I was basically shoving my foot in my mouth my admitting that he'd been right all along and I'd been too blind to see it.

"So, my family got called down to the police station the other night." I started.

"Really?" He asked, stopping his undertakings to watch me. "You had to go there? They told me that I was cleared over the phone. You were cleared weren't you?" His eyebrows furrowed at the thought of only one of us being cleared while the other was charged.

"Oh I was cleared." I assured him. He looked confused. "But that's not why they called me."

He gave me a look, one that said 'get on with it already'. I took a deep breath and did just that.

"You remember how they took DNA samples from us?"

"To prove or disprove that we were drinking, yeah. I don't forget someone practically gagging me with a Q-tip on steroids." He said as he turned his back on me, emptying two packets of hot chocolate mix into our mugs.

I rolled my eyes at his sarcasm. "Yeah, well when they ran it through their database they got a hit off of mine."

"But you just said you were cleared."

"I was."

"Alright," he sighed, turning away from the stove once again to look at me. "I'll bite. What did you get yourself into?"

_More than you know_, I thought. "It turns out that, while I'm not in their system, my dad is. My real dad." I admitted.

"Real dad?"

"You were right." I almost choked on my own admission. "Nobody else questioned it but you did. All along you saw it and I refused to."

"I generally am, right I mean. But what was I right about?"

"I'm adopted." I spat to his shocked face. "My parents never told me that they found me on their doorstep seventeen years ago. They never felt that they should mention that my real parents abandoned me to complete _strangers_."

Fang was silent for a minute. I watched him wearily as he searched my face; what he was looking for I didn't know.

Finally he spoke. "Who is he and what was he in the system for?"

"His name is Jeb Batchelder. He and my mother, Anne, are scientists researching cancer treatment. He's in the system because the FBI thinks he's running illegal genetic testing." I continued to fill him in on the entire story. I told him about my parents lies towards me, what the FBI wanted me to do, and how my parents refused.

By the time I was finished Fang had taken the boiling water off of the stove and distributed it into the two mugs. He handed me one of them and I sipped the hot chocolate carefully.

"While I appreciate you acknowledging that I was right, I have to ask, why are you telling me?"

"I need to find them." I admitted into my drink.

"Why?" He demanded, setting his own mug down to fix me in a glare. "You have a family. Why not just leave it at that?"

"Because I need to know why they gave me up." I admitted, looking everywhere but his eyes. "The police, the FBI, the CIA whatever the hell the people who keep questioning me are, they keep saying that they're bad people; that my parents are on their watch lists. But I don't know if I believe it." _Since when? _I asked myself. _You believed them without questions the other day. _

_Yeah well, _I argued, _that was before I realized that they're a part of me. I don't want to be made out of bad people, _I thought archaically.

"Why do you think that you, a seventeen year old, know better than the police and their indefinite resources? Don't pass this up as some bullshit like familial intuition." He argued.

"No," I glared at him. "I'm being rational."

He snorted. "Hardly sounds like it."

"If they were bad people then why did they give me up?" He opened his mouth but I plowed on, not giving him a chance to answer my rhetorical question. "What if…what if they're just people who made bad decisions? I mean, yeah they did something to get on the FBI watch list. But they gave me away. They tried to give me a better life! Bad people don't do that! They're selfish and want whatever they damn well please! I think…I think that if they were truly bad that they would have kept me." _Or at least I hope that's it. If not then I'm seriously running out of options._

"That is some round about BS right there." Fang admitted. I stayed silent, having said my piece.

We were silent for some time as we finished our drinks and got lost in our own thoughts; me thinking about about the trip I was about to undertake—with our without Fang—and Fang thinking I was one soda short of a six pack.

"Do you really think that?" He asked softly. "Do you really think that they aren't bad?"

"Yes...no…I-I don't know. I just want a chance to figure that out for myself."

"So you're just going to run off without telling anyone, with no idea as to where to go, to try and prove your radical theory?" Was he _trying _to make me sound stupid? Because I didn't need his help in that category.

"No!" I objected. "I know where to start."

He quirked an eyebrow. "How?"

"Well…I may have been left alone at the prescient, and my parents file may or may not have been left where a curious eye could see." I admitted.

"You got an address?" He asked in disbelief.

"Well no…"

"Then what do you have?" He asked in a barley patient tone.

"A name…well, a name of a place." He waited for me to continue. "The School. And before you ask, I've done my research. I got a location off of The School before the officer came back and when I googled it I found a newspaper article about tours being held at the facility!"

"And where would that be?"

"Death Valley, California." I said in a matter of fact tone.

"And why are you telling me this? I could turn you in before you do anything stupid." He pointed out.

I blushed.

"Well…I was hoping you'd come with me?"

He froze.

"Why?" He asked at last.

"Honestly? Because you're the only other person I know around here that I can trust and that would be willing to pick up and leave without looking back."

He nodded. "Reasonable enough. But how do you know you can trust me? I did get you arrested." He pointed out.

"Do you remember that night when I babysat Angel and Gazzy?" I asked quietly. He nodded. "You walked me home and you explained foster care to me. I remember you saying that it's easier if you're younger when you go into the system, because, the older you are the more you know about why they gave you up. That, if you entered when you were younger, it's easier to imagine scenarios." I sighed. "Well, I guess I'd be classified under the 'early' category but I'm not making up the scenarios. I have people telling me things about these strangers who are responsible for me being alive today. They're telling me who they are and what they've done. They're telling me what to believe. And I can't stand it. I want to know once and for all where I came from and why I am where I am today. And you're the only person I can think of that can understand that."

I watched Fang as I spoke, his face showed no emotion but I saw my words hit home when I looked in his eyes.

_What will I do if he refuses? _I wondered. I didn't want to go alone but I felt like I needed to go. I need to find answers. It would just be better to have someone who isn't afraid to tell it to me straight at my side. Despite all of the weirdness that had happened between us I trusted Fang. The realization of this only made his ultimate denial worse. He hadn't refused me yet but he hadn't accepted my offer either and the silence was stretching uncomfortably.

"I-its alright if you don't want to go," I said at last, feeling dejected. "I won't hold it against you or anything but please, _please _don't tell anyone where I'm going. If you're not going with me at least respect that this is something that I need to do and—"

"You're right." He sighed and set down his hot chocolate and completely cutting off my Nudge moment. "I understand. I'll do it."

I felt relief crash over me and my muscles relax. He hadn't shot me down.

"Thank you." I whispered, the relief showing through my voice plain as day.

"Don't thank me yet. We still have to find your answers." He warned.

"Yeah well, we will tomorrow. I'll pick you up at six."

* * *

><p><strong>A random reviewer (anonymous) made a very good point. They said that they were getting annoyed at how pissed Max is with her parents. I agree. However, I am purposefully making her act this way for more effect later in the story. As time goes on you will see that Max becomes less angry and more confused as she realizes certain things about her life with the Martinez's. Please be patient. I'd also like to say that you, my anonymous reviewer, had some very good things to say in your review. Things that I support completely and would actually like to incorperate later in this story. Keep an eye out for anything that might sound familiar to you!<strong>

**Also, someone asked me if I will ever do alternate POV's. The answer is yes. While the majority of this story will be in Max's POV I will throw a few different POV's in later. And yes, this is a FAX story. But the relationship will grow gradually. **

**And now we are entering a fast paced, action packed, thriller of a story! If I do say so myself! So buckle up and get ready for one hell of a ride!**

**Read and Review!**

**Peace!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I'm taking JP's characters on a road trip!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 16<strong>

I looked at the town receding behind me, lit by the blazing morning sun. I'd grown up there and memorized every hill, every house, and every street. Now as it grew smaller and smaller in my rear-view mirror I couldn't help but feel relieved as the town, now riddled with lies and mystery, disappeared.

Fang sat silently in the passenger seat, only staring ahead. He hadn't said much when I'd picked him up this morning; he just threw his duffle bag in the back seat with my own and adapted the position he was in now.

I didn't know what excuse he'd given Marcy, if any. I did, however, know what I gave my own family.

I didn't say goodbye.

Well, not exactly. I left a note. I had stared at the piece of paper in front of me for an hour before I'd finally decided on my message:

_Mom, Dad, and Ella,_

_I'm not running away, I want to be very clear on that. I hope to be back in a week or so. Definitely by my birthday._

_I just want to figure things out and to do that I need space. You guys lied to me and that hurt. I'm not saying that- in some convoluted way- I don't understand why you did it. I do. I just wish you hadn't._

_Don't bother calling me, I left my phone at home so you can't go calling the cops and track my phone and whatever other invasion of privacy you can pull._

_I'll call you if I need you. Don't worry. I'm safe._

_Love, _

_Max._

_P.S. Don't be mad at Nudge, she didn't know._

I didn't feel like I conveyed my true feelings in that note. I loved my family, more than anything in the world, I just needed answers. And, even though they'd jump to the conclusion of me searching for my biological parents on their own, I wasn't about to speed up the process. I had deleted all evidence of my searches from my computer after I'd printed everything I needed.

Now I was equipped with a map and MapQuest. It must have been so much easier to run away when you couldn't be traced through your phone or GPS. I guess it was a good thing that my car was too old to have On Star.

….

By the time twelve o'clock rolled around my stomach was growling rather obnoxiously. We'd been snacking on some food I'd brought but I needed sustenance.

"I'm stopping." I told Fang. "There's a Subway off the next exit. Plus we need gas." I said as I glanced down at the rapidly approaching E on my gas gage.

He nodded in agreement and soon I was pulling into the gas station.

"Where are we?" He asked as we climbed out of the car and stretched.

I started pumping the gas before I answered.

"Um…Idaho. Barley." I said as I pulled out the map and studied it. Idaho looked no different from Montana right now, but that could be because we were so close to the border. It felt weird to officially be in a different state then my family while they thought I was down the street at a friend's house. By the time they realized that I wasn't at Nudge's tomorrow I'd already be in Death Valley. The whole drive there would take about sixteen hours.

Fang just nodded and stared off past the busy intersection and out at nothing in particular.

"Are you alright?" I asked him. He looked so spaced out I had to wonder if he'd heard me. Just as I was getting the feeling I was talking to myself he nodded slowly.

"Yeah. I'm fine."

I studied him for a few seconds before shaking my head. "No, you're not. What's wrong?"

"How would you know if something was wrong with me? Did you get a PhD in psychology while I wasn't looking?" He snapped.

I blushed and busied myself with removing the gas nozzle and closing cap on my car as I collected my thoughts.

"No, but in the entire two months that I've known you I've _never _seen you so spaced out. Are you regretting coming with me?" I didn't want him to regret it. I wanted someone to stay with me because, as much as I put up a façade of strength and indifference, it was just that, a façade. A show. I really did like company, especially when I was doing something that scared me. And this whole trip scared the hell out of me.

"No, I don't regret coming with you." He said, breaking through my inner turmoil. He looked truthful enough.

"But you regret something." I guessed. "What is it?"

His lips twitched towards a frown. "I didn't say goodbye."

_Oh, _I thought in both relief and understanding.

"I didn't either. Well, not really, I did leave a note but I don't know how much better that will make them feel."

He shrugged. "It's different with you."

"How so?" I demanded, a little miffed. "Because I'm a girl and nobody can expect a girl to do stupid things or is it—oh!" I felt like slapping myself in the forehead. It wasn't chauvinist thoughts that propelled him to say that. "It's because she's your foster mom, right? You think she'll think you've just up and left."

He didn't say anything but I knew I'd guessed right.

"That's stupid." I told him.

"What?" He rounded on me, glaring.

I continued on ignoring his anger. "If you don't think that she doesn't know by now that you wouldn't leave permanently without saying goodbye, or the fact that you'd never leave for good because you care too much about Gazzy and Angel, then you're crazy."

His shoulders relaxed slightly at my reasoning.

"Yeah well she doesn't know me as well as you do." He muttered.

"I bet she does, you just haven't noticed." I sighed. "I'm not going to act like I know what you've been through in your life but people like Marcy, they don't live in the same house as someone and not learn something about them. And, well, your feelings towards Gazzy and Angel are about the only emotion you ever show. So I'm sure she's noticed that. Plus, I _know _she knows that you're thankful for her help."

"And what experience do you have that makes you think this?" He asked, a smirk playing on the corner of his lips.

"Sometimes you don't need experience. Just eyes."

…..

"Pull over," Fang ordered me some time later.

I'd been staring blearily eyed at the road for the past twelve hours. It had just gotten dark and the headlights zooming around me on the busy Nevada interstate were not helping me keep a straight focus. We should have nearly been to California by now but we'd gotten stuck in construction related traffic for about a collective five hours along the way. Now we were a little over half way through Nevada.

"Why?" I yawned as I switched lanes to get around a slow moving minivan.

"Because you're about ready to pass out." He informed me. "I can drive you know. I do have a license." It was the same argument he'd been putting up the entire trip. I hadn't let him drive, partly because I didn't want him driving my car—it's my baby after all—but mostly because I wanted to prove I didn't need help. This was crazy considering I'd invited Fang along _because_ I'd wanted help.

"I'm fine. I just need coffee or something." I protested, blinking against my sleepy eyelids.

"No, you need sleep. Did you get any last night?"

My silence spoke legions. I'd been so hyped up last night that I'd found it difficult to sleep. Sort of like kids the night before a really big school field trip. They're so excited and they know they should go to bed early but once their head hits the pillow they're wide awake. Well that's how my night was last night. I'd only achieved sleep in the early hours of the morning.

"Pull over."

Normally I would have continued to argue but just then the perforated lines separating the lanes of the road disappeared for a moment. Maybe I _was_ too tired for this.

"There's a rest stop a mile up," Fang informed me as he read a road sign. "Pull in there."

I did as instructed and ten minutes later we were back on the highway, our seating positions reversed. I was starting to doze off, lulled to sleep by a combination of the cars movement and the hum of the radio in the background, yet I felt compelled to say one last thing to Fang tonight.

"You know," I yawned. "For someone who doesn't like to talk too much you are incredibly bossy."

He may have answered but it was too late and I was already drifting off into dreamland.

Dreamland is supposed to pleasant and a reprieve from the real world. Mine wasn't. Not tonight.

Tonight I dreamt of a completely different terrain from my mountainous home in Montana. I dreamt of dry cracked earth covering an expanse of land in every direction I looked. The heat pressed upon me from the sun high in the sky. I felt like I'd just stepped into hell.

Suddenly there was a figure in the distance. Her features were indistinguishable from so far away but the closer I got the more details I could discern. Her back was facing me but I could still see the blond hair, the thin figure. She was my height. When I was a dozen or so feet away I froze. I wasn't looking at just anyone. I was looking at _myself._

I freaked out. My instinct should have been to run. To get as far away from this obvious apparition as possible. Instead I felt compelled to get closer.

Nine feet away.

Five.

One.

I reached out and tapped the figures shoulder.

"Hey where are w—_holy shit!_" I cut myself off with a shriek. I stumbled backwards, tripping over my own feet in the process. I fell and landed hard on my ass, dust pluming up around me.

The pain didn't faze me; my attention was locked on my doppelgänger. There was one crucial difference between the two of us.

The other me had no face.

The skin over her face was completely smooth, no indentations where the eyes should be, no jut of the nose, no line of the lips. Completely blank.

"W-who are y-you?" I demanded in a stuttering voice. "What are you?"

"Who am I?" A voice exactly like my own echoed around me. It came from more than one spot.

With a jerk of my head I looked around me. Figures just like the one in front of me were dotting the sorry landscape. All exactly my copy. All faceless.

"Who am I? Who am I? Who am I?" echoed around me. The volume of their questions increased with each repeated phrase and became so intense that I covered my ears, their questions pounding into my eardrums with such a force that I thought they'd rupture. I tucked my head between my knees, desperate to escape the noise.

"Who am I? Who am I? Who am—"

The voices were cut off by another.

"Max," the voice whispered in a soft voice. A woman's voice. I jerked my head up.

Standing in front of me was an older version of myself. Blond hair a shade darker then my own, figure slightly shorter than mine. Face lightly lined with the beginnings of age. A look in her eyes I'd never be able to fully identify.

With a start I realized it wasn't me.

It was my mother.

My biological mother. Anne Batchelder.

"I-I-I… Mom?" I asked.

"Max," she nodded.

"What—but what are you doing here? What's going on?"

She shrugged. "It's your dream."

"But I—I…" I trailed off. Why was she here? I'd never met her. I'd read somewhere that the people in your dreams are never just someone you've created. You have to have seen them somewhere at some point in your life. While I'd never seen my mother in person I had studied her image from the newspaper religiously. "Why did you give me up?" I asked.

Some part of me was distantly aware that I was in a dream and that my mind would tell me whatever it wanted to hear, whether it was true or not, but I couldn't help the question as it slipped from my mouth.

My mother just shook her head and turned around so that her back was facing me.

"Why can't you tell me?" I demanded, suddenly furious with the whole situation. "I don't know who I am. I need you to tell me! Who am I?"

Tears of anger leaked over my cheeks as I glared at her back.

"Tell me!" I screeched.

"Who are you?" Her voice repeated. "Who are you? Who are you? Who—"

"I don't know! That's why I asked you!" I tried to stop her repeated questioning but, just like with my warped clones she didn't stop. "Who are you? Who are you? Who—"

"STOP!" I shouted, snapping out of my dream and into reality inside of my dark car.

Fangs grip on the wheel jerked and sent us into the other lane momentarily. There was a fanfare of horns blaring before he regained his place in our original lane.

"What the hell's wrong with you?" He shouted at me, casting me glances out of the corner of his eyes. I didn't respond, I was too busy trying to regain control of my breathing. My heart beat erratically and every time I blinked I saw the images from my dream. The faceless clones, my mother. I kept hearing the question: Who am I?

"Dream," I panted. "Bad dream."

"About what?" He asked in a calmer voice.

I swallowed before answering curtly. "About the trip. About my mom."

"Well," he said in a drawling voice after a moment of silence, "let's hope that dream doesn't set the predisposition for this trip."

* * *

><p><strong>I have to say, I had trouble editing this chapter. I've gotten maybe six hours of sleep over the past two days and my mind is wandering. Please forgive any errors! Read and review!<strong>

**Peace! **


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: Shits about to go down! Oh, and JP owns. **

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 17<strong>

"Excuse me? Can you point out where we are right now? I'm a bit turned around." I could be civil when I wanted. After an hour of being lost in Death Valley California, thanks to Fangs refusal to ask for directions, I'd had him pull over at a twenty-four hour diner. The insides were dingy. Grease covered all the Formica surfaces and the chipped checkerboard tile did nothing for appeal. However it was air conditioned and a great reprieve from the one hundred and some—holy hell lets break a thermometer—heat that was outside.

Fang and I had taken a couple of seats on the cracked red faux leather bar stools and I'd slid my map towards a burly woman with braided hair that looked like her name should be Olga.

She glanced at the map and tapped the rightmost side.

"Here," she said pointing to an unmarked area on the map. "Not on the map. Just little Dantesville."

That was remarkably close to our destination, Badwater Basin.

"How far away is Badwater?" I asked as I tried to judge the distance based on the maps scale with little success.

"'Bout forty minutes west. You gonna order anything?" She asked. "Cause if you aren't I've got other customers to tend to."

I glanced around at the diner. It was empty save for a man reading the mornings paper over a cup of coffee. It was barley six in the morning. Nobody in their right mind would be here at this hour.

"Yeah, sure you do." I said. "Can you tell me anything about Crucial Cure Lab?" She raised an eyebrow.

"You gonna order anything?" She asked stubbornly.

Fang snickered beside me.

"You gonna answer my question?" I retorted in an equally stubborn tone.

She let out a gust of breath.

"It gets a lot of attention. Lots of people come through here talking about it. Never been there myself but I'm told its interesting…if you into the geeky science stuff. Haven't been holding a lot of tours as of late. If that's what you're looking for you may be out of luck."

"Why aren't they holding tours anymore?" I demanded, my heart plummeting.

"Did I say that?" She snapped back. "I said they weren't holding _a lot _of tours, now didn't I? They used to hold several a day, now they cut back to about two or three a week. Don't really know why. Something about rival labs trying to sneak a peek at their experiments."

_Rival labs or FBI?_ I wondered.

"Right." I sighed. "I'll have a coffee and an omelet. He'll have…" I looked over at Fang, waiting for his order.

"Same."

She walked away without bothering to write anything on her pad of paper.

As soon as she left I dropped my head on my arms and groaned.

"The website said nothing about cutting back on tours." I complained while a million possibilities floated through my head. What if we got there and there weren't any tours for a while? What would we do in the down time?

What if they gave up on tours all together? How would I ever find my parents? How would I ever find out what the DNA donors who created me were really like?

Or, on the other hand, what if there was a tour today? Am I really prepared to see my parents? To have all of my questions answered? Would they even know me? Even care?

"Relax," Fang intoned. "All we can do is try."

Olga came back then, cutting off any further conversation.

…..

"It seemed so much…._bigger_ in the articles." I admitted. "More…intimidating. Now? Its….well its…" I struggled for a proper description.

"Disgustingly innocent?"

"Like, white picket fence and small obnoxious dog and everything." I stared at the tanned stucco building that seemed to blend in with the desert. There was indeed a fence around the perimeter but it was chain linked instead of white picket. The fence, however, did not take away from the quaintness of the building. The fact that I use the word 'quaintness' should determine how odd the sight was to find in the middle of the desert.

I found it very hard to believe that the FBI thought illegal genetic testing was taking place here. The worse that could happen here was that a test bunny got a cough.

The building was four stories high and topped with solar panels—not at all a bad idea I deemed based on the amount of heat my dark navy car attracted in the sun—and surrounded by drought resistant landscaping. There was a security hutch at the entrance gates, which opened up to a winding driveway that lead around the back of the facility. My guess was that the parking lot was back there.

I pulled up to the guard station and rolled down my window half way, half in an effort to keep from cooling the air outside and half to keep my face obscured. I was that paranoid.

"Can I help you?" The guard asked.

Despite how picturesque the exterior of the lab was this guard looked like he'd served time in prison. I guess rent-a-cops didn't always need background checks.

"Um…yeah. We're here for the tour?" I'd promised myself that I'd sound confident, like I knew what I was talking about, but my statement still came out sounding like a question.

The guard _tisk_ed. "Yer late. The tours startin' in ten minutes. Better hurry." He pressed a button on the control panel in the station and the gates swung towards my car in an effortless motion. It was a good thing I was pulled behind the yellow line or else they would have dinged my car.

"Thanks," I said before egging my car forward in a hurry. The guard would think my speed was driven out of fear for being late for the tour. I just really wanted to get away from the guy. He gave me the heeby jeebies.

"So….he wasn't as cute as the lab." Fang observed as I followed the winding path back towards the parking lot.

"Great observation, Sherlock." I rolled my eyes. "What turned you off? The cigarette stained teeth or the prison tattoos?"

"I don't bat that way," he assured me. "But if I did I'm sure it would have been his award winning personality."

"Well what did it for me was chest hair curling out of his collar." I shuddered as I eased my car into a parking spot between a 350Z and an Altima. I felt like I needed to scrub my eyes clean.

The interior of the lab was about as opposite from the exterior as possible. Cool, sterile surfaces shone with a white glow that made me wonder how they avoided the sand and grit from the desert outside. There was no waiting area, only images of hospitals and patients that had apparently benefited from their research. Pictures of men and women—top researchers at the facility—lined the hallway heading back behind a black granite countered reception desk. Two women in perfectly preened clothing sat behind the desk. For a moment I felt self-conscious of my wrinkly travel clothing, then I passed that worry off realizing that half of the people milling around in the room, the rest of our tour group presumably, were all in similar attire.

We hurried to the counter and made it just in time to pay for our tour and join the group as they took off into the hallway behind the counter.

We were led by a man in a white coat and a bow tie. He had slicked back brown hair, a blue dress shirt, and khaki pants underneath the coat. His entire outfit reminded me of Bill Nye The Science Guy.

As we walked down the hallway his voice drifted back to me and Fang. We were taking up the rear of our tour group—only about a dozen people—but it was far enough back that the man didn't hear my commentary.

Most of what he was saying about the founding of the lab and their goals I'd already read off of the website and was now taking the opportunity to take in the sights.

"I feel sick," I commented as we made our way further into the labyrinth of hallways. "I think breakfast was bad after all."

"Don't blame the good old American grease cooking." Fang said sagely. "You're just nervous. Don't be. We're just looking for now."

Fang was quickly becoming the voice of reason in our little expedition for the truth.

"Now, Crucial Cure Lab's has another name to the public. It's not something we came up with but so many interns or accredited scientists have taken up positions here and commented that they learn so much here it's like being back in school. Thus we received the name 'The School.'" Bill Nye broke through our conversation. "And living up to that name over the past decade or so we've delved deeper into our experimentations than ever before. We have devoted our time, funding, and efforts to exploring previously untouched paths in science, all in hopes of finding that crucial ingredient that will cure an afflicting ailment."

We had turned down a hallway full of windows. So far we'd passed by doors that Bill had listed off what went on within the walls and even occasionally let us take a peek inside. It had all looked like a chemistry lab on steroids to me. Now as we passed by the windows I saw the actual experimenting.

Scientists walked back and forth across a large bleach white room carrying vials, test tubes, and beakers full of an array of substances. Some were pouring chemicals together, some were taking notes, and some were cooking concoctions over a Bunsen burner. It all looked terribly boring and methodical to me.

"As you can see here our top researchers are continually testing out theories and newly discovered experiments. Sometimes they get so close to an end result but find that they were off by one measurement somewhere in their tedious experiment. This causes them to restart the experiment and change what are the likely suspects. However, sometimes those aren't the culprits and it takes until they retest something for the seventh or eighth time to get the desired result. The work is very tedious but the results are priceless."

_Yeah,_ I thought. _Very boring._

"What are they trying to cure now?" Someone up front asked. I couldn't see their face but it sounded like a woman.

"Right now our researchers are testing several muscle deteriorating illnesses and how they relate to diseases such as Rheumatoid Arthritis or even Scoliosis and other bone related diseases. They seem like very random illnesses that have the bare minimum in common but if we can link certain traits, genetic mutations or anomalies, then we are one step closer to a cure."

_Genetics. Mutations. Anomalies. _Those words rung home in my head as I flashed back to the night of my graduation. The night I lost my identity. _A few years ago the FBI caught wind of illegal genetic testing being done by his facility where he was the head of the operation._

I felt my stomach clench painfully. I was contemplating high tailing it out of the lab when I felt the light pressure of Fang's hand on my own. I glanced up at him in surprise. He gave me a reassuring smile and nodded for us to follow the tour group.

I swallowed hard and pressed onward. I didn't have much of a choice at this point. After all, I'd made it this far, I might as well see it though.

….

"What do you think is through there?" Fang asked me nearly half an hour after my near melt down.

I looked in the direction he'd gestured and saw that, as our tour group backtracked through the hallways, we were passing a row of doors that had been elsewise overlooked in our tour. One door in particular had the words _restricted access only_ printed across it in red block letter.

"My bet?" I asked. "Something really cool." The best stuff was always forbidden. It was something that everyone learned at a young age.

"Want to check it out?" He asked me. We'd fallen behind our tour group but nobody seemed to notice as Bill Nye kept blabbering on about special benefactors of the lab.

I glanced around and saw a camera swirling around for a three-sixty view of the hallway. I also took note of the electronic key lock on the door.

"One problem. How do we get in?"

"I've got an idea." Fang smirked. I saw a mischievous glint in his dark eyes that reminded me of my first impression of Gazzy. Maybe it wasn't something the little devil had learned on his own. Or maybe he'd learned by example.

I shrugged and made a small gesture with my hands. "Lead on."

He did.

I watched in fascination as he not only caught up with the group but managed to finagle his way to the front of it. He tapped Bill on the shoulder and the scientist stopped mid-sentence to face him.

"Yes sir?" He asked, looking startled that a random travel worn yet dangerous looking teenager was interrupting him. Sometimes I forgot the first impression that Fang could give.

"I was just wondering what are in all of the rooms we've skipped." He said boldly. I felt my stomach drop as he pretty much asked straight out what we were investigating. I'd quickly blended in with the rest of my group so that Bill wouldn't see me loitering beside that specific door.

"Some extensive research teams and classified experiments that we don't make known to the public until we know it has potential or actual success." Bill said carefully choosing his words. That answer sounded as if it had been read straight from the 'How To Shift Off Suspicion' handbook.

"So that means we can't take a peek?"

"I'm afraid not sir. Now if we can please get back to our tour."

The rest of the group followed like sheep as Bill started walking and talking again. Fang stayed where he was. As soon as the group passed him I grabbed his arm tightly and hissed "What the hell was that for?"

Fang smirked.

"Well I needed to say something didn't I? Standing that close to him would have been weird if I wasn't talking to him."

"Why did you need to stand next to him? Attracting attention isn't synonymous with stealth."

"How about pick pocketing?" Fang asked. Before I had the chance to even ask the obvious question Fang was holding out what looked like a credit card with the words Crucial Cure Lab's stamped across the front. I was about to ask him if he'd gotten a membership card for the place before my eyes zeroed in on another line beneath the first: _access card. _

"You jacked his key?" I asked in disbelief. "How?"

"Being in the system has its perks."

"Well then." I nodded slowly, trying to play off my impressed feelings for indifference. "Let's go."

Fang and I doubled back to the door. I held my breath as Fang slid the card through the slot half expecting alarms to go off and bars to drop over the door. Instead the little red light that signaled the door was locked went dead and a green one took its place.

We were in.

I'd never purposefully defied rules before. Sure I'd stretched school rules, accidentally gotten caught trespassing, and defied my parents somewhat, but I'd never gone against the rules of an institution that I could get in serious trouble with. Before I lost my nerve I slipped through the dark doorway, Fang right behind me. The door shut with a deafening click that sent shudders down my spine. The space before me was lit by nothing other than an emergency light that supplied as much illumination as a glow stick. Though its lighting was awful it did allow me to see that I stood at the apogee of a staircase. It continued downward into darkness until another emergency light lit it and so forth.

I couldn't actually see the end because it was too dim.

"Well….who's going to go down the creepy forbidding stairs first?" I asked.

Fang gave me a look that said _I know you're hiding nervousness behind humor. _He was right, of course, but I didn't like that he knew me so well.

With a huff of indifference I set forth down the stairs. Our footsteps made gentle taping noises despite the fact that we tried to be as quiet as possible.

The steep staircase along with the high walls created a dizzying affect that sent my mind reeling. I felt like I was making my way to the dungeons and that the walls should have been stone and moldy and spiders should have been glaring at me from above. Instead the walls were a bland gray colored sheetrock and there wasn't a spider in sight.

We finally came to the end of the stairs and were met with another door similar to the first one. An electronic key lock secured it as well. Fang handed me the key card and I swiped it again. As I waited for the light to switch to green I slipped the card in my pocket, glancing at the back of it first.

"Hey!" I exclaimed softly. "His name really _is _Bill."

"What?" Fang hissed.

"Well I thought that he looked like—never mind." I stopped myself, partially because of the look he was giving me but also because the light turned green.

"Oh come on," I sighed. "Do these people know anything about fire hazards? I mean, the stairs are hard enough to get up but all of these hallways? It's a maze, they'd be lucky if they didn't get lost." My little rant was spurred on by the fact that we'd come across _another _hallway. This one was more brightly lit and resembled the one from upstairs. Fang and I slipped down the hallway to the right and carefully peeked into the first room we came to. It was empty save for one man mixing chemicals. Nothing out of the ordinary. The second lab was completely deserted. We saw slight movement within cages lining the walls, what looked like test animals in my opinion.

The third room held computers. I slipped inside of that one.

Nobody was inside but a single computer continued to glow blue as the main screen was displayed.

"What are you doing?" Fang asked me as I slipped into the seat in front of the computer.

I may not have Nudge's mad hacking skills but she'd taught me a few things and I knew how to run a basic search on a computer.

"I'm going to see if I can find my parents. I don't think that they're here." If they were here I was sure we'd have seen them during the tour. We'd seen dozens upon dozens of scientists….and none of them were my parents.

I quickly pulled up a search and entered my parents' names. Then I searched all of the computers documents.

One document came up. It was a small report detailing my father's work at another facility linked with the School. It was called the Institute and it was in New York City. The report had been updated two years ago so the information could be obsolete at this point. But something was better than nothing. I started clicking on more documents linked to the Institute but all I came up with was a bunch of maps with the crisscrossing streets of New York.

I quickly stored that information in my head and clicked out of the search.

"Let's go," I said quietly.

The last room we looked into was unlike all of the others.

Inside we saw a now familiar sight. A scientist in a white coat mixing variously colored chemicals. There was only one difference.

He was taking that chemical and injecting it into a man.

The man was beautiful, model like I suppose. Perfect cheek bones, smooth skin, dark cunning eyes.

He freaked me out. Everything about him radiated danger.

But he wasn't dangerous at the moment. Not strapped down to a chair and convulsing because of the injection.

"What the hell—" Fang clamped his hand over my mouth before I finished my cry of shocked outrage. My reaction was understandable in my opinion.

"Shhh," he hissed, lips close to my ear. "We can't let him know we're here."

"But he's…he's _experimenting _on that man!"

Maybe I was going crazy. Maybe all of the stress of the past few weeks was getting to me and I'd finally snapped. Maybe I was imagining what I'd seen in the room and that was why Fang was so calm right now.

"I know," he whispered.

Or maybe not.

"But," he continued. "We can't do anything about it. Who's to say he didn't volunteer?"

"Does that look like volunteering?" I countered, peeking back over the edge of the door to see inside of the room. "Strapped to a chair? Practically chained up like a dog!"

Fang came to the window as well.

"Maybe its so he didn't fall out of his chair? I don't know! I'm trying to be rational here. I'm trying-"

He stopped talking.

We stopped breathing.

I'm pretty sure my heart stopped beating too.

Because at that moment the man's convulsions turned into something more. His skin itself seemed to move as he jerked his limbs against his restraints.

That's when the hair spread from his head down his neck and out of the sleeves of his shirt. His muscles bulged and his perfectly sculpted cheek bones shifted. His face elongated.

The whole process took mere seconds and left me nauseous.

In place of the model-like man sat a huge monstrosity. A dog unlike any other, so hideous and frightening that it could have—and perhaps did—step straight out of my nightmares.

I let out a whimper of fear.

And that's when the creature turned and locked eyes with me.

* * *

><p><strong>I know the chapter was a little late but hey! Its about as long as two of my usual chapters! So that deserves twice as many reviews, right? Just kidding. Let me know what you think! Now's when I start bringing in the real mutants! Can't wait to know what you think! Read and Review!<strong>

**Peace! **


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: My updates may be sporadic like JP but I don't get the honor of calling MR my own. **

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 18<strong>

"Run."

That one word never held more weight than the moment that Fang whispered it in my ear.

And I listened.

We tore off down the hallway, heedless of the noise we were making as the sound of breaking wood reverberated all through the hall. Suddenly a new sound joined it: the sound of a door breaking off its hinges.

I didn't need to turn around to know that we were being followed by that…that…_thing. _

Fang took the lead and guided us down the hallway we'd been creeping through. It felt ten times longer as we ran for our lives. The sound of yelling followed us down the hallway. Apparently the scientists had realized something was wrong.

_What could have given us away? _I thought sarcastically.

We were nearly to the door leading to the stairwell when it happened.

A few yards down the hall—right after the door to the stairs—a door burst off its hinges and more hairy creatures spilled into the sterile hallway.

I was at serious risk for heart failure today.

They locked eyes with us and that's when the baying began.

If it wasn't hard enough to focus on running and recognizing the creatures as a threat only, the baying put a name to their transformations. Dogs.

Why did it have to be dogs? Why couldn't it be a friendly cobra or a lion hybrid?

Why dogs?

Fang skidded to a halt and threw the door open. I shot through it and was starting up the stairs before he'd even shut the door.

Shutting the door wouldn't hold them off for long but the few extra seconds that it gained us could be precious.

As soon as the door was secure Fang was following me up the steps, catching up to me with ease.

It was about the time that the door behind us blew inward that the alarms started blaring as well.

The dull emergency lights flashed red and yellow strobes that hurt my eyes and periodically plunged us into darkness.

I heard the scraping of nails against the stairs and realized that—while the dog creatures were faster than us—their claw like nails made it harder for them to find purchase on the stairs.

The few extra seconds' delay it put between us was enough for me and Fang to lunge over the final steps and through the door.

The hallway was abuzz with action. Scientists ran around and security guards were running amongst them, all heading in our direction.

I was gasping for breath by now, my chest was on fire and my legs were jelly beneath me. Instead of giving into the fatigue that wanted to claim me I pushed my legs further, tearing off in the direction of the lobby.

The security guards weren't expecting us. They didn't know what the threat was but two teenagers didn't seem like the likely suspect.

That was, until we plowed them over in our escape.

I could still hear the dogs behind us; I had half hoped that they'd stop after getting to the main building.

No such luck.

I couldn't breathe. This was nothing like my usual running where I paced myself, and ran on even, shock absorbent pavement. Now I was running up stairs, through twists and turns that were unfamiliar to me, and each step sent another jolt through my bones.

Fang was starting to pull ahead of me as we stumbled through the lobby.

We passed a wide eyed Bill as we went.

Fang burst through the double door entrance to the lab and I followed in suit, squinting hard against the sudden blaze of sunlight in my eyes. My eyes, which had just adjusted to the brightness of the hallway after the strobe lights, protested, watering and making everything around me indistinguishable. I was left to follow Fangs footsteps as my only guide.

My lungs were burning, my heat beating erratically against my chest. I didn't think I could make it much further. I stumbled and Fang yelled at me to keep moving, dropping back slightly so he could run at my side, keeping one hand pressed against my back so I couldn't slow down._ I'm the star track athlete here_, some small part of my mind pointed out._ How the hell is he faster then me?_

A dark structure loomed in front of us and I cried in relief as I recognized the parking garage through the haze in my eyes. The sound of shattering glass came as we reached the shade of it.

The dogs had broken through the door.

Safely out of the suns light I struggled to pull my keys from my pocket as I ran. I'd just managed to free them as we reached my car.

Without a word to each other, Fang and I launched ourselves into the car. I was already starting the car and pulling out before he'd fully shut his door.

But they were on us.

The sound of nails against metal was nerve wracking. One of them threw themselves at my windshield while another punched my back window and actually broke through it.

I pushed the accelerator down and the sickening thud of me hitting a body sounded briefly in my ear before I threw my car into drive and peeled out, clipping the edge of the Altima on my way. I'd managed to throw off all of the attacking creatures.

Remember that pretty winding entrance way from before?

Well I skipped all of the turns and just drove through the grass.

As I approached the gate I had a slight moment of indecision. The gate was shut. Would I make it?

"Ram it." Fang panted from beside me.

That was all the encouragement I needed.

I hit the gate going eighty.

My car jolted painfully as the fender made contact with the metal but my car is one of those cars that if in an accident it would drive away with only a few scratches while the other car would be crushed like a can.

The gate was the other car in this case.

It flew off of its hinges and we breezed right on through leaving the lab and all the damage we'd caused, literally, in our dust.

….

"I-I-I," I stuttered.

"I know," Fang said quietly.

I'd been driving nonstop for the past twenty minutes trying to put as much distance between us and the lab as possible. Now, however, as the adrenalin rush wore off my hands and legs started shaking uncontrollably; so much so that I had to pull over lest I cause an accident.

"Those _things…_those _dogs_…they-they—"

"Were human." Fang offered up.

"Well, partly. They were mutants, they were freaks, they were—"

"Experiments."

I didn't answer him. I didn't have to. We both knew what we'd seen even if I wasn't ready to admit it.

We'd witnessed illegal genetic testing on humans, exactly what the FBI had told me my parents were involved in.

And worse?

The School knew about it.

Everyone there had gotten a good look at our faces: Bill, the guards, the receptionist, the gate guy….everyone.

And, of course, I now realized that there were probably some camera's we'd overlooked in the hallways during our covert operation.

How stupid were we?

How stupid was _I_? I'd dragged Fang into this; I'd gotten us involved in something that was dangerous, immoral, _impossible…_

"What now?" I asked, gripping the steering wheel tightly.

Fang shrugged. "We could go to the police." He offered.

"And do what? Say that we saw scientists turn a man into a wolf? Do you realize what they'd do? Well, after they put us in straight jackets they'd just send us home to Montana. Besides, we were technically trespassing when we snuck downstairs. Do you really think they'll let go of that?"

Fang ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.

"Well that doesn't leave much of anything for us to do. We can go home. You didn't find who you were looking for; all you found were more questions and possible confirmation that you parents are bad people. Or we can keep looking, but that doesn't give us much to work with either. No matter what we do we have to recognize something else: they saw us. They can find us. We're in danger."

I groaned and pounded my head against the steering wheel.

"Fuck, I don't know what to do."

"Well, sitting here isn't going to solve anything. Let's drive."

I complied and pulled back onto the road. I'd been driving for another half hour before I realized that the same SUV kept popping up in my rear view mirror.

I watched it for another five minutes, making some pretty pointless but tricky lane changes and last minute turns. By then I was convinced.

"We're being followed." I told Fang in a tight voice. He turned around in his seat and looked at the SUV.

"Scientists?" He asked.

"Or more of those creatures. Or both."

I made a sudden hard right followed quickly by another right. The SUV stayed behind me.

I continued winding through the roads hoping to lose them. All I succeeded in doing was getting us to a remote location with a two way stretch of road surrounded by only dust and scraggly bushes that went on for miles.

I picked up my speed pressing the accelerator to the floor.

Fang and I said nothing to each other. We both realized that, despite escaping the lab the danger had followed us and wasn't leaving any time soon. My only hope was to loose our tail and disappear. Out of the city out of the state, hell, out of the country. Anything would be better than getting caught, or so I assumed.

I was just passing an intersection when it happened.

I didn't see it coming. One minute the road was clear and the next a SUV—very similar to the one tailing me—slammed into the driver's side of my car. Luckily I'd stepped on the accelerator just before the impact so instead of hitting my door directly it hit the back half of my car. Still, the impact shattered the windshield and sent us fishtailing. Airbags deployed as I struggled for control of the wheel, slamming into my face and giving me an instant nosebleed. We spun four times before settling in a ditch on the edge of the road.

"Max? Max!" Fang called to me over the mountain of scratchy canvas.

"Ugh," was my reply.

"Are you okay?" Fang demanded, I heard the sound of a seatbelt releasing as Fang shifted and attempted to pull the fabric off of me.

"Peachy." I moaned just before my door was yanked open and I was pulled from the car. I shrieked at the contact, afraid that it would be the dog/human experiments again. Luckily, or maybe not so much, they were humans.

I was unceremoniously dumped into the back seat of the SUV that hadn't hit my car.

As soon as the man manhandling me released his hold on my shoulders I threw myself at the car door. It was firmly shut and when I reached for the handle I found none. It had been removed.

"God damn it!" I screeched as I thwacked my fists against the glass. There was a partition between the back row of seats where I was located and the front seats. If I hadn't known any better I would have said I was in the back of a police SUV.

But I knew better.

There were no badges; no reading of Miranda rights, but most importantly there was a dog creature in the passenger seat. Just like before the sight of it sent shivers down my spine. This thing was like a manifestation of my worst fears: helplessness and dogs. The thing may not have been helpless but it certainly rendered me so.

The door opposite me opened. I turned to throw myself at it but was stopped when something big and heavy collided with me.

Fang.

He looked worse for wear and I'm sure I matched him. He had blood running from the corner of his mouth and cuts spread sporadically across his exposed skin, consistent with injuries from broken glass.

The door shut before either of us recovered and the SUV started to move beneath us.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry for the late update but I hope it was worth the wait! Read and Review!<strong>

**Peace! **


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: James Patterson owns Maximum Ride. No copyright infringement intended. **

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 19<strong>

"Any ideas?" I asked quietly as Fang lifted himself from where he pinned me to the seat. I looked towards the front of the car and quickly looked back at Fang. Even looking at the dog creature sent my heart pounding eratically at my ribs and caused my breathing to catch in my throat. Was it...was it really possible that my parents could do something like that? Cause that? How was it possible for _anyone _to do that? What_ was_ it? I mean, yeah, I saw a man at one point but the next thing I saw was the dog-thing. Was it still a man? Or was it an animal? Was it possible for it to be both?

_It doesn't matter what it is, _some part of my mind whispered furiously. _Freak out about it later. For now, focus on escaping. _

I slowly sat up and looked back to the front of the car. The man driving was in his thirties, tall, and fairly buff. His roping muscles were as daunting as his sour expression.

"Not really." Fang whispered in response to my earlier question, wiping some of the blood from the corner of his mouth as he ran his fingers over the door where the handle should have been. "I figure our best bet is to make a break for it when we stop."

"Yeah but that will be back at the Lab." I pointed out.

"Maybe not." He said, ever optimistic.

"Where else would they take us?" I demanded. "They sure have the equipment to 'take care' of us there." I used air quotes to emphasize _take care. What a euphemism_, I thought_. It's like using the word 'pass away' for 'die', 'adult entertainment' for 'porn', or in this case 'take care of' for 'brutally murder and then dispose of our bodies in a way that leaves are families forever wondering what happened to us'!_

"But that place is already in chaos. People were visiting the lab, remember? They're probably still there. I'm not so sure that's where we're heading."

"Well," I sighed, "wherever they're taking us one thing is for sure. We're screwed."

He had no argument for that.

….

"You know, you guys could be reading from the playbook '_How To Kidnap 101'._" I called to the front seat. "I mean, you guys are predictable to the T. _Pre-dict-a-ble. _I'm telling ya, this whole 'snatch and grab' and then 'silent treatment' and now 'blindfold'? Now where have I seen that before? Oh yeah, in every goddamn kidnapping movie, show, and book in the world." I could take a lot of things. Annoying little sisters, broken bones, _car crashes, _but I drew the line when someone sends a _dog _to blindfold me.

How rude.

After about twenty minutes in the car they'd pulled over to the side of the road and sent that dog thing back to bind our hands and blindfold us. The only reason he'd gotten it on me to begin with is because I'd been basically immobilized with fear. At least they'd left out the gag. I'm sure they were regretting that now. However I, being unable to see the monstrosity in the front seat, could easily picture something else while I badgered them.

"Shut up." I'm guessing that the creature was the one to growl this out because the words were harsh and garbled, as if spoken through a deformed mouth. Or a _muzzle. _

"No I don't think I will. I do _not _play victim well." I informed them in a petulant voice.

I heard them grumble from the front. "So, where are we going?" I asked. "We've been driving for a while. Longer than it takes to get to your lab slash torture chamber slash mutant factory." I'd figured out that we weren't going there after they blindfolded us. Why would they do that if they were taking us somewhere we'd already been?

"Max," Fang warned beside me. He'd been his usual quiet self up until this point. His tone was more of annoyance at my badgering than actual worry that it would get us into more trouble. Because seriously, considering our predicament, there wasn't much more trouble I could get us into.

"Where we are headed is none of your concern." A different voice, the mans, answered from the front.

I snorted.

"Seriously? _None of our concern? _How thick can you get? I believe that it is _expressly _our concern. If not because you're a couple of random strangers—and dog thing-which, by the way, just because you are a dog mutant doesn't mean you need the breath of one, I mean, come on that was just nasty." I ignored the vicious growl from the front. It sent shivers down my spine and brought to light my fear of dogs, but my annoyance overrode that at the moment. "Then because that will help us know _what you plan on doing to us when we get there."_

Silence.

"Or at least tell us how much longer it will take. I'm bored." Everything has an ulterior motive. For instance, I wasn't being this talkative because I'm like Nudge—though I was pulling on years of listening to her for inspiration—but because I was trying to get them frustrated enough to pull over and try and _make _me stop. At least that way we wouldn't get to wherever they were taking us. That would be our best chance to escape. Well, that and the fact that I'd spent the past twenty minutes giving myself rope burn in a successful attempt to loosen my bindings enough to slip out of them.

"Just shut up. You shouldn't be in a hurry to get where we're taking you." The mutant guffawed.

"Ohhhhh, I'm so scared of the big bad wolf."

"That does it!" He growled. I'm sure he made an attempt to lunge at me but his seat belt restrained him. I laughed at his stupidity.

"Relax, Shane," the buff man said.

"Yeah Shane, relax, I'm just screwing with you! Oh, and by the way, you should seriously consider changing your name to Fido or something. That would fit better."

His growl seemed to make the SUV vibrate. I was taking silent pleasure in my ability to annoy him this much. If I got out of this situation I'd have to thank both Nudge _and _Ella for their lessons in annoying conversations. After letting Fido simmer for a minute I broke out the big guns.

"Hey Shane!" I called to the front of the car. "Are we there yet?"

…..

Five minutes.

I'm actually surprised they lasted that long. After those fun filled five minutes of playing 'are we there yet' both Fido and He Man, as I'd decided to call the buff guy, had had enough of me.

Gravel crunched under the tires as He Man jerked the SUV to the shoulder of the road. The car stayed on as two doors slammed as they got out.

"Get ready," I told Fang quietly as my door was pulled open and I was yanked forcefully from my seat, the car door closing but not clicking shut. My bruised body shrieked in protest especially when I felt clawed nails puncture my shoulders.

"No good little motor mouthed _bitch_," Fido snarled close to my ear. Damn, his breath really did stink. I nearly choked.

"You know, that's not a good nick name. They're supposed to be short and sweet. To the point. Like 'Fido' or 'Jackass' or—and this one's really good trust me—'Gullible'."

I could just picture his confused face turn to one of shock and anger as I slammed my knee into his groin. His surprise was just enough for me to tear free of his grip and rip the blindfold from my face.

The sunlight burned my retinas and turned everything to fiery light and shadows. Blinking past this I ducked as He Man came forward and tried to grab me. I dropped to the ground and rolled, scrapping up some dirt in my hands as I went. He Man towered over me, a manic smile on his face.

He leaned down…

And I threw the dirt in his eyes.

He roared in pain and frustration which gave me enough time to push him towards the SUV. As soon as he was within range the door burst outward and slammed into his back, a smirking Fang responsible. He'd slipped his blindfold off enough to see and had kicked the unsealed door outward. He Man dropped like a bag of bricks.

I heard him just before I felt his claws scrap my back. I shrieked, more in surprise than pain, and used the momentum of the blow to turn me to face Fido.

And boy did he look pissed. My dirt trick wouldn't work on him. However, a large rock that lay on the ground a few feet behind him would do nicely.

"_Bitch,_" he spat, lumbering over me.

"See, now that's a nick name." I ducked his punch and slipped behind him. My hand closed over the rock and I spun back around. He may be a mutant with ungodly strength and bad breath, but he was hulky and unable to turn with the swiftness that my small frame allowed.

I brought the rock down on his head with as much force as possible.

I got lucky.

He pitched forward and didn't move again.

I wasted no time.

I was at the SUV and driving away before three seconds had passed, barley pausing to shut the open door.

* * *

><p><strong>I'm so sorry for the late update, guys. I've said it before and I'll say it again: school is crazy. It runs me ragged. But I swear, I'll make it up to you. Spring Break is next week and I'll try and write a lot! I promise. Anyway, as usual, read and review! Please, I'm really curious to know what you think about where this is going. I will say one thing though, I do not plan to have Max getting wings in this story. She and Fang are purely human. Sorry to disappoint!<strong>

**Peace!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: James Patterson owns Maximum Ride. No copyright infringements intended. **

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 20<strong>

"That," Fang drawled from the back seat, "was impressive."

I glanced at him in my rearview mirror. His hair was disheveled, he had a bloody nose, and a black eye, but he did look impressed. I was just glad to be able to see him, period. I hated blindfolds.

"Mom and Dad made me take a self-defense course two years ago. I never thought it'd do me much good in Nowhere Montana but now I'm glad they did."

"Me too." He agreed.

I drove for a few minutes longer before asking "Where to now? They'll be looking for this car soon enough."

"We need our stuff if we're going to get anywhere." He admitted.

"But it's all in my Jeep and we left that on the side of the road god knows where." I exclaimed in frustration as I pulled to the side of the road. "Here," I sighed climbing into the back seat. "Turn around." He did as I told him and I worked to untie his bonds.

"Actually," he said as I freed his wrists, "I think I know where."

"Explain." I said as I climbed back to the driver's seat. Fang vacated the back seat in favor of the passenger seat.

"I slipped my blindfold about five minutes into your annoying monologue." He informed me. "I know what way we came from aside from those few minutes and that was all straight driving."

"Well then," I said as I guided the SUV back onto the desolate two lane road that road maintenance forgot. "Lead the way."

….

"Oh my poor baby! I'm so sorry!" I exclaimed as I looked at the hopeless state of my Jeep. I stroked its dented exterior as Fang tried to pry open the trunk to get our things.

"Yeah," he grunted. "Poor baby, what about the people who were _in _it when it became so poor? How do you think they faired?"

"Hey, no need to be snippy. Just because we're having a bad day doesn't mean you can take it out on Dory."

"Dory?" He demanded.

"Yes, Dory. That's my Jeep."

"How on earth did you get that?" He asked, still struggling with the trunk hatch.

"Oh come on! The color of the paint? Imagination? The fact that I was watching Finding Nemo when my parents gave her to me?" I rolled my eyes. "Poor Dory."

"Yeah, whatever. Got it!" He exclaimed as he pulled open the hatch. He threw me my duffle bag as he grabbed his own. I'd already climbed into the driver's seat and gotten my wallet out of the center compartment.

"Let's go. We don't know how long it will take them to check the car."

I frowned sadly at my vehicle. "By Dory."

…..

Fang drove. We had no destination in mind other than to drive in the complete opposite direction of the lab. We were on limited time before the labs goonies would attempt to track down the SUV we were in and we needed to use that time wisely to get away.

Only where were we going?

They saw our faces; it was only a matter of time before they were searching Philipsburg looking for us. We couldn't go home. But we needed to get out of California. And I could seriously use a rest stop to clean off the dry blood that stiffened my clothes. And get food. Food would be great.

"Hey, stop at that McDonalds," I ordered Fang. He raised an eyebrow but complied with my demand.

"Drive through?" He asked, already starting to steer the SUV in that direction.

"No, we'll go in."

"Is that really smart-?" He started.

"Nothing is smart. Not anymore. We need food, we need to get cleaned up, and we need to think. Got a better idea?" I demanded.

He decided not to answer my snappy tone and instead parked in the back of the lot. I slid from my seat and grabbed my belongings from the back. Fang followed suit and we were soon crossing the darkening parking lot. The sun was setting rapidly showing us just how much time had passed.

After a quick but thorough clean up job my bloody, ripped up clothes were buried in the bathrooms trash and I'd replaced them with a fresh shirt and jeans that covered most of my multiple cuts and bruises. As I walked out to the main dining area I quickly realized that while, for the most part, I looked alright, my body ached all over and screamed obscenities from places like my left shoulder, chest, and waist where the seatbelt had done a good job of leaving itself bruised into my skin. My ankle was also tender.

I did my best not to limp as I made my way to where Fang had staked out a seat in the corner. From the way he was favoring his right shoulder I knew he was suffering similar injuries to my own.

"What now?" He asked me after I had settled into the bench opposite him.

"Well, finding out where we were heading would be a great step forward. Unfortunately I have no idea where to start. I need food. I can't think without food."

Fang smirked. "Of course you can't." He sighed and stifled a groan as he rose to his feet. "What do you want?"

Ten minutes later I was making my way through my second hamburger and a large fry, content to placate my stomachs annoying demands. Fang matched, if not surpassed, my appetite and was on his second cheeseburger. Food does help get those gears running. Or maybe it was the monopoly piece that I peeled off of my drink, because as soon as I saw what property was underneath our new destination hit me like a freight train.

"State Avenue!" I gasped, waving the tiny square around erratically.

"Congratulations?" Fang questioned.

"No you idiot! 'Avenue'! It just clicked." I explained. "When I think of 'avenue' I think of New York City and then I remembered that in Jeb's—my dad's—file it made a list of frequent locations. One of them was New York City! Maybe that's the Institute!"

My excited mood was somewhat dampened by the fact that Fang was not responding with the same enthusiasm. "What's wrong?" I demanded after he just continued to stare at me.

"Clear something up for me," he said. "We ran away from home in an attempt to find your biological parents. Correct?" I nodded and he continued. "We go to the place that you—somewhat illegally—found as a connection to your father. Correct?" Again I nodded, wondering where he was going with this. "And when we finally get there we stumble upon a whole hidden operation of illegal genetic testing and experimentations. We were chased by mutants and hired hands, our car was run off the road, we were kidnapped, and we just broke free. Correct?"

"Yes, Fang, that is correct." I sighed. "So what?"

"So what? Well my question is _why the hell would we go looking for the people who put us through hell? Are you insane?_"

"Probably," I admitted, somewhat mollified of my earlier excitement. "But now I need you to clear something up for me: we're on the run from people who'd do anything to keep their secret operation a secret. Correct?" I didn't wait for him to answer before I continued. "They saw our faces, heard our names, hell, they got my license plate number. Correct? So, if we even have the slightest hope of getting home safely we have to take them down. The entire operation. We need to expose them, give the police evidence that they've been unable to get before now. And the best way to do that is to find our way to the heart of the operation. The School was big, I'll give it that, but I'm willing to bet that the actual headquarters of the illegal testing won't be so eager to allow tour groups in. And I'll bet that's where my parents are. So here's our new plan: find my parents, expose their freak show of an operation, and hopefully live to start college. Are you in?"

He stared at me in what anyone else would call a cold look. I, however, recognized it as a calculating look. He was assessing his options and, like me, came to the same conclusion. We had no other options.

"So, New York City? I've heard they've got great food there."

….

"Where is terminal 12C?" I demanded as we were pushed roughly from side to side by the bustling crowd of the LAX Airport. Fang and I had taken turns driving through most of the night to get to the only airport that had a direct flight to New York City. I'm a small town girl. I'm used to clean mountain air and a small population. I was unprepared for LA. Not only was the smog so thick that I felt like I was suffocating, but the people, the _body odor, _was making me feel faint. I was stuck between wanting to observe the people dressed in flashy outfits that I'd only ever seen on TV, and run in the opposite direction.

After we'd dumped the stolen SUV in a long term parking lot I'd purchased two, one way tickets to the Big Apple. The woman at the counter had given us an odd look but passed us off as naive teens looking to make it big on the east coast. After we'd made it through security we'd been directed to terminal 12C, one that I was starting to doubt even existed. After three wrong turns, two false attempts at asking for directions, and the clock ticking down to fifteen minutes left until our appointed departure time, I was on edge.

We'd just passed signs for planes departing for Greece, Beijing, and Moscow but we couldn't find one actually _within _the continental US.

"That security guard said it's at the end of this hallway." Fang said.

"I _see _the end of this hallway and I'm telling you that it says 13B!" I exclaimed in exasperation. Two seconds later I was proven correct as the ginormous sign proclaiming terminal 13B came into sight. Fang swore and spun on his heels.

"That security guard knows jack shit." He grumbled as we took off in the direction tangent to the one we'd just walked.

I was inclined to agree, however I was in no mood to further our plight. All I wanted to do was go home, hug my parents—my _real _parents, the Martinez's—and fall asleep in my comfortable, familiar bed. But because that couldn't happen, I'd settle for a nap on the plane. _If we could find it. _

The terminal we arrived in read 14D. _How the hell did that just happen? _I wondered, but I didn't voice aloud. There was no point in questioning what I couldn't change. I caught sight of a man in a black, formal uniform walking with purpose out of a security checkpoint. He wore a flat topped hat with what looked like gold wings on the rim.

A pilot.

"Excuse me!" I called, running to catch up to him. He was young, in his twenties, and nice looking, if I was being honest with myself. He paused in his purposed walk and turned to acknowledge me. "Sorry but can you tell us how to get to terminal 12C? We've been sent everywhere else in this damn place and we're about to miss our flight." I put a bit more sweetness in my voice that was strictly necessary. Fang frowned beside me as his eyes flickered between the pilot and me.

"To New York City?" He asked in a warm tenor voice.

I nodded eagerly.

"That's my flight. Follow me." he said.

Coincidence, karma, I don't care what you call it, all I knew was that I was happy to find some help, and from someone Nudge would have considered a First Class Hottie.

"I don't blame you for getting lost." He said to me as we walked. "This place can be a bit confusing at times, but there is a system."

"Yeah, I always knew that B and D came next to each other in the alphabet. Followed closely by H and A." I grumbled as I pictured our confusing search for the right terminal.

The pilot chucked at my sarcastic remark. "And C and G switched too. I guess you didn't get the memo."

"I didn't check the mail before I came here." I admitted dramatically.

"Join the Mile High club while you're at it," Fang grumbled from behind me. I chose to ignore him in favor of some _enjoyable _conversation.

"So, how long you been flying for? How old are you, anyway?" I asked him.

"Twenty four." He said. "But don't let my age fool you; I'm good at my job, I've had my pilots license since I was sixteen."

I held my hands up in surrender. "I never made a comment about age. I know what it's like to have people judge you based on it." I said seriously, remembering that it was my age that had gotten me into this situation to begin with.

He gave me a sidelong look before his eyes flicked back to our course.

"Well," he said as we arrived at terminal 12C, "No judgment here. Welcome aboard." He said and gave me a mock bow, gesturing towards the loading bay.

"Thanks," I smirked.

"I'm Sam, by the way," he said, holding out a hand for me to shake. I took it.

"Max."

…..

I settled back in my seat and readied myself for the long flight. The flight itself was about eight hours. Add in the three hour time difference and we wouldn't be getting into Newark airport until around five tonight.

I heard Sam come over the intercom system as he introduced himself and welcomed everyone aboard the airline. I smiled slightly to myself.

"Well, that was interesting." Fang drawled from his seat beside me.

"What was?" I yawned.

"You flirting with a guy seven years older than yourself."

I shot up in my seat, no longer tired.

"Excuse me? I wasn't flirting, I was making conversation." I defended myself. Despite the truth of my words I felt a blush creeping into my cheeks.

"Uh-huh." He rolled his eyes before mimicking me. "'So how long have you been flying for? How old are you anyway?' You were practically ready to jump him."

"Excuse _you_!" I gasped. "First of all, you know nothing about me. You've only known me a few months and if you knew the real me you'd know that I am not some bottle blond who throws herself at anything with a dick! If that were true then I'd of already tried it on you. Contrary to your assumptions I. Have. Standards. And I'm not about to flirt with some random guy I just met! Second of all, I had no intentions of _flirting _with him. I was merely talking to him. And third of all, if I had been flirting with him it would be none of your concern."

"Maybe you don't know yourself as well as you think, Max." Was all he said.

….

Nudge's POV

The room that had been silent for the past few hours finally stirred as the doorbell rang. Mr. Martinez disappeared down the hallway while the rest of us just waited. It had been nearly an entire day since the Martinez's had realized Max was missing. It had been two days since she'd left.

When Mrs. Martinez called me this morning I had been reluctant to give up my best friend but I had warned Max I'd only cover for so long. When I'd told her mother the truth she'd immediately called the cops, convinced that Max was going after her birth parents. I was sure of it, too.

The cops had come, a missing persons report had been filed, and I had been thoroughly berated by not only my parents, but by the Martinez's and Nicks mother when we realized that he, too, was missing. We'd all congrigated at the Martinez house around noon and that's where we still waited as the door was answered.

A heavy set police officer with a bald head came in, along with another man in a suit. The cop introduced himself as Officer Sheridan while the Suit simply said he was an FBI agent.

"Have you found Max?" Mrs. Martinez demanded, jumping up from her place on the sofa. She looked terrible. Her hair lay uncombed down her back, her complexion was pale, and there were dark bruises under her puffy, red eyes.

"Not exactly. Please sit down." The FBI agent said.

"I will not be told to sit down in my own house." She replied sharply. "Now tell me what you _have_ found." I couldn't help but smirk despite my worry. Max may not be biologically related to Mrs. Martinez, but she'd certainly learned her attitude from her.

"Very well," Officer Sheridan replied. "Your daughters car was located about an hour ago." He started.

"What? Where? Was she with it? Max loves that car, she'd never leave it." Mrs. Martinez broke in.

"Ma'am please," he said, "I'm trying to explain." She glared at him but allowed him to continue. "As I was saying, the car was found an hour ago. It was located on an isolated road in Death Valley California. The car had been in a rather severe accident with another car." He admitted.

My heart thundered in my chest. An accident? Max was in an accident? Was she alright? If she wasn't near the car then where was she? I knew Max, she loved that car to death. If it had been in an accident and she was able to walk away she wouldn't just leave Dory. Something was wrong with her. Another thought hit me, did she leave on her own volition? What happened to the other car in the accident? Did they just leave? No matter what, I thought, Max is fine. She has to be. Something odd may have happened but Max never gives up on anything. She's probably still looking for her parents.

The room had an opposite reaction then I did. While I turned my banter inwards they all exclaimed in worry. Mrs. Martinez let out a strangled cry before burying her face in her husbands chest.

"But you didn't find the kids?" Nicks mother asked.

"No, ma'am. There's no way they would have gotten away from that accident uninjured. They couldn't have gotten far on foot and the local police haven't found any sign of them. They're still missing."

"But what were they doing there?" Mr. Martinez demanded. "If they're trying to find Max's birth parents then something must have lead them there. What would that be?" He asked.

The officer flinched slightly. "In the file on her parents—which she was left alone with for a short period of time—California was one of the last known locations listed. We assume that she was searching for the School. However, that is some distance away from where we found her car. We don't know where she's headed next."

Max knew where she was going. She'd found the name of the place and a general location. I'd bet anything she'd researched it some more. I needed to get her computer.

While the adults continued to bombard the law enforcement officers with questions I slipped up the stairs and into my best friends room. Her computer sat charging on her desk. I slid into the desk chair and pulled up the internet.

Max wasn't stupid. She'd completely erased the history of her computer. Usually that was enough to deter a common computer nerd. I, however, had a certain affinity towards technology. I was able to pull up her old searches in a matter of seconds.

I ran through a list of articles about someplace called Crucial Cure Labs located in Death Valley. I'd bet money that Max had already been there. No doubt she was heading somewhere else when she was in the accident. But where? I started running a search for anything related to Max, her parents, the School, and Crucial Cure Labs. I didn't know how much information Max could have found with her lack of computer skills but I ran an extensive internet search and came up with another location.

New York City.

...

"...and you told Max that you'd supply an alibi for her?" The officer asked me again. The morning after I'd searched Max's computer for any indication of where she was heading the two officers had asked me to join them at the station. I should have told them about what I'd found. It might have made things easier. However, I knew Max was doing this without police involvement for some reason.

"Max is my best friend and she's going through a tough time." I said. "She needed some time to cool down without her parents getting in the way. I understood that. I also told her that if she wasn't back by yesterday morning I wasn't covering for her. And I didn't."

He nodded. "Do you know where she was going?"

"She didn't tell me anything. I didn't know she was going to run away. If I'd known I'd have tried to talk her out of it." Or have at least gone with her. I was itching to find out more about where Max was. And getting my hands on a computer with access to police connections would be just what I needed. But I doubted they'd let me use their computer.

I'd just need to do it without them finding out.

"Hey, can I get some water?" I asked. "Its kinda hot in here and I've been answering questions all day and I'm sure I'm dehydrated by now. I mean, I like to talk so having a dry mouth and lack of hydration isn't a good thing. I should know all about hydration, I run track."

The officer blinked a few times at my verbal spew before nodding and excusing himself. I cast a quick glace around the empty squad room before slipping behind the desk. My guess was that if Max was on her way to New York City without a car then she'd make her way to an airport and the closest airport from where her car was found that had a direct flight to the Big Apple was LAX. I quickly hacked into their security system and accessed the cameras. I pulled up a picture of Max and used the police stations facial recognition software to scan through hours of video feed. As the program started scanning I started worrying that the officer would be back before I could finish. I was just getting ready to switch back to my old seat when the program froze on an image.

I felt myself begin to breathe again as I recognized a grainy photo of Max and Nick standing in front of a Spirit Airline ticket counter. I pulled up the airline's flight schedule and isolated the closest flight time to the time of the video. It would have take off two hours ago.

Max was on her way to New York City.

And so was I.

...

Max POV

"And if you look out your window you'll see the Hudson River and the City just beyond that. Now if you'll all fasten your seatbelts we're beginning our final descent." Sam spoke over the intercom. I did as he said and watched as the ground got closer and closer. Fang was silent beside me. We hadn't said a word to each other since our fight at the beginning of the flight. I hadn't gotten a wink of sleep afterwards and I felt like my eyes were going to roll into my head at any moment. All I could think about was getting off the plane, grabbing some dinner, and finding a cheap, sleazy motel to crash in for the night.

The plane jolted beneath me and the people in the cabin clapped at our safe landing. I clapped as well. Partly because I was applauding my new friend, Sam, and partly to piss Fang off.

It worked too because I saw his eyes narrow slightly.

"Thank you ladies and gentlemen for flying with Spirit Airlines we enjoyed your business and hope to see you again soon. Welcome to New York City."

I collected my duffle bag from the overhead compartment and pushed past Fang as we exited the plane.

"Max," he called as he got caught in the swarm of people who were eager to get off the plane and stretch their legs. "Max, just wait a minute."

I gritted my teeth and stepped out of the current of people. Somehow Fang managed to make himself look graceful as he was pushed out of the crowd and to my side.

"Look, I know you're pissed at me but let's just get over that for now. We need to figure out—"

"Yeah, food and a place to sleep." I cut him off. "I know."

He said nothing more and instead led us towards the security check point.

"Hey Max, wait up." A voice called behind me.

I turned to see Sam quickly gaining on us. I paused so he could catch up.

"You weren't lying about you flying skills. Smooth flight, Captain." I praised him. He smirked. He no longer had his hat on and for the first time I noticed that he had red hair. He pulled off the ginger look quite well.

"Thanks," he said. "So where are you heading?" I didn't miss how he was completely ignoring Fang who was observing quietly.

"Oh, you know, to see the sights and get some food, I hear New York has some pretty good pizza places."

He laughed. It was warm and friendly. Very inviting.

"That it does. Try some Three Brothers Pizza. There's nothing else like it."

I nodded. "I'll try."

"So, I'm in town for the next couple of days," he started. "Want a guide of the city?"

I blushed. "Oh, that's, um, really nice of you," I said, my eyes flickering towards Fang who had an incredulous look on his face. "But I'm not sure. We're sort of scheduled for some tours already," he looked slightly crestfallen and I couldn't help but tack on my next offer. "But hey! If I find myself in need of a guide I'll know who to get a hold of!"

He chuckled. "I know a halfhearted response when I hear one." He informed me. "But in case you change your mind," he handed me a card. "Feel free to call." I looked down at the card and saw the name Samuel Greene printed on it along with a cell phone number. "Nice meeting you Max."

"You too!" I called as he headed off in the opposite direction.

I turned back to Fang who'd already begun to open his mouth in some sort of retort.

Except it never came.

Instead, when he opened his mouth a completely different, yet totally familiar voice rang through the airport.

"Max! Nick!"

Fangs eyes widened as he looked over my shoulder and I felt my expression mimicked his.

"_Nudge?"_

* * *

><p><strong>Extra long chapter for you guys! Spring Break has officially started and I plan on updating at least two more times before I have to go back to school! <strong>

**Just to let you guys know, I'm not making Sam a big part of this story. This was his only appearance. I merely wanted to put Max and Fang in a situation that stirred up a little jealousy and I couldn't resist! What do you think about a little bit of Nudges point of view? It wasn't great but I figured we could see how everyone else was fairing during Max and Fangs escapades. Read and review!**

**Peace! **


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: James Patterson owns Maximum Ride. No copyright infringement intended. **

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 21<strong>

"Oh Max I knew it was you!" Nudge, in all her jabber mouthed, unruly hair, fasonista glory, slammed into me. "I've been so worried! If I had known you were going to disappear like that I would never have gone along with all of the lying! And your family! Oh my god they are devastated! Your mom looks like she hasn't had a proper nights sleep in days and your dad just sits there all hollow eyed! And when we heard about your car being found? We thought the worst! Well, they did anyway. I knew you'd be okay. I've known you long enough to guess what you would do in a situation like this. When I found out about the School having other locations somewhere in New York and I found you two in the LAX airport well I just _knew _I'd find you! Iggy and I have been staking out this check point for almost an hour! Our plane got in a lot faster than we were scheduled to, originally and your flight was late getting in—"

"Nudge!" I gasped as I gripped her upper arms in an attempt to settle down her jumpy movements. "Why are you here?" I was overjoyed to see my best friend after everything that had gone down yesterday but at the same time here being here not only put her—and Iggy as I saw him looming protectively behind her—in danger, but also proved that we could be easily found. If Nudge and Iggy had found me then it wouldn't be too hard for the police, or—and I shuddered at the thought— the scientists, to find me

"What do you mean you found us at the LAX airport?" I demanded as I processed her words. It took a minute to decipher the meaning behind her hyped up jargon.

"Well, the police _may_ have brought me in for questioning this morning and they _may_ have left their computer unguarded and I _may_ have hacked into the LAX security cameras…" She adopted an innocent look as I released my hold on her, shifting slightly so I could look at Iggy and raise an eyebrow at him. He just shrugged. This was apparently typical behavior of his girlfriend. I had to admit, while it seemed a bit crazy it wasn't too far out there if Nudge was involved. And I'd been involved in a lot of situations where she used her hacking skills. Hell, I'd influenced her actions on more than one occasion.

I shook my head. "Nudge," I groaned. "How did you know we were heading for New York—?"

"You didn't completely erase the history on your computer. I found out about the School and did some research of my own."

"How?" Fang demanded, looking at Nudge like he'd never met her before. He seemed to find my easy acceptance of her hacker skills absurd. I'd forgotten that his exposure to Nudge was relatively low.

"I may have forgotten to mention to you that Nudge is, like, super hacker. She can hack pretty much anything." I informed him. "When we were in eighth grade she managed to hack into our math teachers grade book and change all of the classes test grades to an A. Don't look at me like that!" I snapped as he gave me a disapproving look. "The test was bogus and everyone failed it! We would have gotten bad grades on our report cards. Anyway, she changed the grades and the teacher didn't figure it out until the end of the year, though she never caught Nudge." I smirked at the memory. Mrs. Papas had been such a bitch the entire year. I remembered the fun Nudge and I had when I distracted the teacher as she changed the grades. Nudges skills had only increased over the years.

He was at a loss for words. Understandable enough; nobody expected sweet, innocent Nudge to be such a Hacking Guru.

"Max you have to come home." Nudge informed me as she locked her fingers around my wrist and started dragging me in the direction of the ticket counter. "Everyone's worried sick. Do you really think you're doing the best thing by running off? I mean, I know you want to find your parents and all but there are other ways of doing it and I think—"

"Nudge." I sighed, digging my heels into the ground, refusing to move an inch more. "I can't go back."

"Of course you can." She said, as if it was the easiest thing in the world. "It's your home. And don't go all melodramatic and say that you don't consider a place of lies a home because the Martinez's have been your family from day one, or I guess day three or something like that, and they love you and they need you and—"

"I need them too." I assured her, stung that she'd think otherwise. Then I realized how much of a hypocrite I was. I'd run off searching for my birth parents saying that I didn't know who I was anymore. It was partially true, I'm still confused about who I am, but at least I'm starting to realize that at the end of the day the Martinez's are my family, blood relations or no.

I'd just screwed things up too badly to go back now.

"Then why aren't you going home?" She demanded, loosing her balance as someone talking on a cellphone plowed into her. Other people were starting to get mad about the wedge we'd created in the crowd as well so I dragged Nudge out of the flow of bodies and into an alcove near the restrooms. Iggy and Fang followed us silently.

"Because we literally can't." I sighed. "We got into some trouble in California and—"

"ZOMG! Max, are you, like, on the run from the _police_? Well, yeah I guess you are from the ones back home but I'm talking about the California police."

"What? No! I'm sure you would have heard about that if I was. No, look, Fang and I went to the School. We sort of went snooping around and—"

"Max," she chastised, swatting my arm in light reproof.

"Let me finish. So we went snooping and we ended up in a section of the facility that's off limits to the public, and probably most of the workers and we saw…well we saw some crazy stuff but I don't even know how to explain it to you." I admitted. "Anyway, they caught us and—"

"The accident?" Iggy butted in, eyes wide. It was the first time he'd spoken today. "Are you saying they caused that?" Usually people jumping to conclusions bugged the crap out of me but when Iggy made an intuitive leap he was generally dead on. Now was a prime example of that.

Fang and I nodded mutely.

"God," he ran his fingers through his hair. "We saw pictures of Dory. Poor thing was almost unrecognizable." I winced at the reminded. "What did they _do _Max? What did you _see_?"

"I don't think you'll believe me." I admitted, looking to Fang for help. Aside from a slight tightening of muscles around his mouth he had on his normal expressionless face. He shrugged as if to say _this is your decision_.

"Well we can try." Nudge offered up. "We're your friends, and friends stick with each other no matter how crazy they may be."

I bit my lip. Beyond anything else I _didn't_ want to get my two best friends involved in this chaos. I wanted them to go home right now and lead a normal life where there was no such thing as mutants and evil scientists in white coats that tried to have their hired help hunt you down and kill you. I wanted them to go home and hug their family, and mine too seeing as I wasn't there to hug them myself, and assure everyone that everything was alright. And above all else I wanted that to be true.

But it wasn't and I felt my selfish side, the side that wanted my best friends by my side and helping me though this, win over as I uttered one word.

"Mutants."

….

"It just…doesn't seem possible." Nudge repeated for what must have been the fiftieth time today. We'd left the airport about an hour ago and had found our way to a small hole-in-the-wall café with some great coffee. I was downing the stuff like there was no tomorrow while I let her and Iggy process the story.

"Why not?" I asked.

"Because-because, well, this is the stuff from books! Mutants can't be real! Especially ones like you described! They couldn't do something like that!"

"They can and they did." I didn't specify who 'they' were but in my mind they took on two very specific faces. Ones that bore a very similar resemblance to my own. "Look, it doesn't matter what your ethics code is because these scientists don't share it. The truth is we were and still are being chased by mutants that want to rip our throats out for discovering their little secret. Now our only chance of getting our lives back to normal is by putting them behind bars, and to do that we need the police, and they need proof. Therefore _we _need to find proof. Meanwhile I've already screwed Fangs life up and I don't need you two added to that list so I'm begging you, _go home._"

"Sorry Max," Iggy said while Nudge shook her head at me. "We are not leaving you two alone in this."

"But we don't even know where to go from here!" I admitted in a furious burst of emotion.

"Well where else do you go when you're looking for information?" Nudge waited for all of us to look at her before she finished her thought. "The library."

* * *

><p><strong>Well, this was a relatively quick update, if I do say so myself. I know this chapter is sort of boring but its a necessary filler and I'm definitely going to make the upcoming chapters more interesting so stay tuned! Read and Review!<strong>

**Peace! **


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: James Patterson owns Maximum Ride. No copyright infringement intended. **

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 22<strong>

"Shhhh," the librarian—an ancient woman who very much resembled a pterodactyl, as in, she could have been _born _with them—hissed at our merry band of teenage runaways. She'd expected trouble from us the moment we'd stepped off of the elevator and onto her floor. She'd had us sign in—which we did with fake names of course—and assigned us to a computer terminal informing us that the New York Public Library of Humanities and Social Sciences closed promptly at eight o'clock, no exceptions. You'd think that she'd be happy to have people in the library at all. From what I could tell the stone lions out front saw more action than the dusty stacks of books.

We'd thanked her for the information—noting that we only had a little over an hour to search for what we needed—and slinked off to the computer terminal we were assigned.

Almost an hour later and not even Nudges major hacking skills had gotten us very far. She didn't technically have anything to hack because we weren't trying to tap into any databases so she was forced to conduct a simple search. It wasn't very simple in my opinion. We'd sorted through five different search engines and hundreds of links with Nudge typing things like School+Institute+Batchelder into the search bar and coming up empty. Soon we'd resorted to simple searches reasoning that any Institute here wouldn't want to be connected to the School for liability reasons.

It turns out that there are _hundreds _of institutes in New York. My personal favorite, and the reason the librarian was currently scolding us, was The Institute for Realizing Your Pet's Inner Potential. My tired brain took an overly long about of time to process the title and once it had it sent me off into a fit of giggles.

"Sorry," I gasped at the librarian while wiping a tear from the corner of my eye. She stared for a moment longer before continuing on her oh so important mission to stamp and re-stamp every book in the damn library. "God I need sleep," I muttered to no one in particular as I turned back to the screen, the black letters blurred before disappearing completely in front of my strained eyes.

"We could leave—" Iggy offered.

"No," I cut him off with a yawn and a hand wave that ended up whacking him in the nose. "We only have ten more minutes until we're evicted anyway. Might as well see what we can at least rule out in that time."

I allowed Fang to take control of the mouse and keyboard. I had just about given up my battle with my heavy eyelids when his low, librarian approved tone startled me back into the library.

"What?" Nudge was already asking, leaning over his shoulder. I leaned in over his other shoulder and read what caught his attention in the first place: Institute for Higher Living.

Hmm. Well, in all fairness it was about the closest title anyone could get to the truth without blatantly naming something the Institute of Illegal Genetic Testing Being Passed Off as Good for Mankind and its Future.

"It sounds like a decent place to start." I admitted, running my fingers through my greasy hair. I was definitely overdue for a long hot shower. "Print this page out, Fang."

No sooner had I retrieved the page and paid the ten cents due then the librarian was honing in on us and informing us that the library was officially closing and we'd have to leave.

"What does it say?" Iggy asked as the four of us spilled out onto the streets of the city. The sun was going down but as its light disappeared beyond the skyscraper horizon neon lights popped into existence, equally as bright.

"Not much," I admitted as I passed him the paper. "It's only a small newspaper clipping about a facility called the Institute of Higher Living having a fire about ten years back. The facility was destroyed so we'd have to find its new location anyway. But at least we have a name to start with."

"Cool, now how about we name a hotel?" Nudge demanded. "I'm exhausted and my clothes are sure to be wrinkled from being packed away for so long."

…..

"This hotel may have a drug deal going on in every other room but I swear to god that this was one of the best shower's I've ever had." I told Nudge as I exited the steam filled bathroom and into the dingy hotel room that supported two twin beds draped in paisley comforters, a crap television that actually had antennas for reception, and a coffee pot and complimentary mugs that I wouldn't consider using. Nudge had claimed the bed closest to the bathroom—which suited me fine because it put me closer to the door and window—and was now sorting through her duffle bag, pulling out every outfit it contained and smoothing out all the wrinkles. My own duffle bag sat untouched in the middle of my bed where I'd left it in my race for the shower. After washing three days' worth of travel and grime I felt much more like myself.

Fang and Iggy had taken up residence in the room next door and, while it felt weird not to have Fang by my side for the first time since this ordeal started, it was also comforting to have Nudge with me.

"So," Nudge said casually as I started rooting through my belongings for a pair of pajamas, "what's going on between you and Fang?" Nudge had only recently picked up on his nickname, after giving me confused looks as I'd addressed him as such. Eventually she had stopped trying to puzzle out the nickname and just call him by it.

I dropped the shorts I'd just liberated from my bag. "What do you mean?" I asked, fumbling as I tried to cover my slip up. "He's my company. My travel companion. My partner in crime." I blathered on. "What else would he be?"

"Well, considering that when we first saw you two in the airport you were talking to some extreme hottie while he stood there all dark and brooding I thought something was going on. Well, that you were aware of anyway."

Wow. It must have been killing her all night to sit on this question. I was glad she'd at least made it this long.

"You mean Sam? He was the pilot from our flight. We met him before we even left the LAX airport. He was nice. Fang accused me of flirting with him." I blushed. "Which is absurd because I don't flirt."

"You don't mean to flirt." Nudge corrected me with a smile. "Every girl flirts, whether they mean to or not. The point is you were all flirty with a cute guy and Fang, your—how did you put it? _Travel companion_?—got jealous. Mmm-hmmm. I knew it! I saw it from that first day in school. You two are made for each other."

"Nudge," I rolled my eyes at her absurdity, but I couldn't avoid my blush. "You're insane. Fang wasn't jealous; he had no reason to be. It's not like he likes me."

Nudge dropped the pink shirt that she'd been meticulously smoothing for the past five minutes and spun around to face me dead on. The look on her face was one caught between horror and humor.

"Max, honey," she said. "I love you to death but sometimes I don't know how I've ever survived being friends with such a-a-a _clueless_ girl." She shook her head in a dejected motion. "Of course he loves you. If he didn't he wouldn't have gone on this crazy ass expedition with you."

"No," I argued, becoming, if possible, more flushed. "He came because I begged him to."

"Yeah, you needed help and this was his chance to be your knight in shining armor. Actually, not shining, I see him as more of a dark knight, in all black armor riding a black horse, so _handsome _and—"

"Nudge!" I objected.

"My point is maybe you should give him a chance…unless you're saying that you don't like him like that?"

I froze. Why oh why did my friend have to nitpick at things when they're going good as is? Why did she feel the need to complicate things by making me have to actually _think _about them? I didn't want to spare a thought to the subject because then whatever decision I came to would haunt me whenever I saw, spoke to, or thought of Fang.

Nudge stared me down, waiting for an answer I wasn't ready to give. Just as she was about to demand an answer from me a loud thudding emanated from the door.

"Hey it's us!" Iggy called. "We're coming in."

I cursed and gathered my pajamas from the bed and floor before scampering my towel clad body into the bathroom, shutting the door just as the main door opened.

I heard the low thrum of conversation through the door as I quickly dressed and brushed through my hair. When I finally emerged Iggy was sitting beside Nudge on her bed and Fang was perched at the foot of mine.

He too looked freshly washed, excess dried blood no longer caked into his hair or the small cuts on his face. His black eye had turned out to be nasty looking but his shaggy hair covered a good portion of it, the rest obscured by his olive toned skin. My bruises on the other hand screamed out like beacons on my lightly tanned skin. Bruises on my body stood out magnificently now that they were exposed, previously hidden from the others and myself by my sleeved shirt. My camisole gave way to a new view on how my injuries were displayed: restraint marks on my biceps, seatbelt mark from my left shoulder down to my waist, random cuts and bruises, and rope burns around my wrists. Not to mention the slight swelling of my ankle where I'd hurt it during the accident.

"Damn Max, you look like you went through hell," Iggy noted, eyes widening at the sight of my injuries.

I nodded as I slid carefully onto my bed, leaving about two feet of space between myself and Fang. "We warned you guys," was all I said.

"So we were looking through the phone book back in our room, trying to see if, by any shred of luck, that the Institute for Higher Living was listed and, of course, it wasn't. So I called information and they said that the last known address they had was on 31st Street but that was over two years ago. It's a place to start at least." Iggy concluded.

"Definitely," I agreed, suppressing a yawn. "But in the morning. I don't know about you guys but Fang and I haven't slept for about three days. I'm beat."

With nods of agreement our group disbanded once again and I managed to slip under to covers of my bed without ever having to answer Nudges question.

* * *

><p><strong>Another quick update! I'm so proud of my work ethic! Mariabelle asked me whether I was including Ari in this story. As of yet, I've found no place for him in this story. I don't think I will either. However, if I find a place I might just slip his name in, who knows? Anyway, read and review guys! I'm going to try and update one more time before spring break is over! And things are going to start heating up, in terms of action and relationships! :D Leave it to Nudge to bring that sort of thing up.<strong>

**Peace!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: James Patterson owns Maximum Ride, no infringement intended. **

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 23<strong>

"You have to hand it to the New Yorkers. No matter how grid-like the streets are laid out they make it completely possible to get lost!" My already tested patience was about out the door by the time five o'clock came around in the hot, crowded city. We'd been circling the same group of streets for the past hour now and somehow managed to continually miss Thirty-First Street.

The only up side to the whole day was that I'd managed to sleep in—something I never did—and while it made us late getting started today I felt refreshed and actually able to function.

By the time we left the hotel, took a break for lunch, and placated Nudges demands to visit a few of New York's fine establishments—meaning three story tall department stores—it was nearing four o'clock and I was beginning to feel like we'd never find Thirty-First Street.

Now, over an hour later we'd gotten to where we needed to be but somehow the Institute still evaded us.

I stared hard at the map I'd purchased from a curbside kiosk. I'd asked the vendor where we were and he'd pointed to one of the many small squares considered city blocks on it. After a combination of following our convoluted path from that kiosk and using the street signs around us I found our current location.

"Okay," I sighed. "Last try. We need to go down this street, hang a left, continue straight or two blocks, and it should be on our right."

With a nod the boys once again took the lead, which I was beginning to think was half of our problem in the first place.

Just as I was about to complain that we'd been on this street before—and it was entirely possible considering that _every street looked the same_—Fang called out "Thirty-First Street!" pointing to a street sign nearly concealed by a traffic light.

"Okay, Ig. What was the address?" I asked, excitement pumping through my veins as we closed in on our target.

"433 East Thirty-First Street." He recited.

We fought the crowd of tourists and New Yorkers alike as we scanned each and every building for the numbers 443.

At last we found it. A gaudy green color, forty something stories high, and old fashioned looking, 443 East Thirty-First Street—aka. The Institute for Higher Living's last address—actually blended in with its surroundings. I couldn't decide if that meant the scientists were good at hiding their operations or if it meant that 'last known address' wasn't the address anymore.

"Well, only one way to find out," I muttered to myself.

"What was that?" Fang asked, turning to look at me from the corner of his dark eyes.

"Nothing," I said louder, "let's go check it out."

…..

Inside the supposed Institute was adorned with polished wood, brass, and big tropical plants. Nudge wandered over to inspect some paintings, probably thinking they'd be better if they had more pink in them, while Iggy went over to one of the funky looking plants and started prodding its waxy leaves. Fang wandered over to an antique looking side table with something carved into the wood. I watched as he carefully traced the design with a delicate touch. As I watched him his eyes snapped up and caught me staring. Flustered with myself I quickly turned away. I noticed that one of the taupe walls supported a glass case listing all of the offices in the building and their floor numbers and headed there.

I tensed as I gave the case a cursory glance. Then I scanned it over three times to make sure I wasn't missing anything.

I wasn't. There was no Institute for Higher Living listed on it.

Of course not. My heart seemed to get heavier in my chest as I realized, yet again, the possibility of never finding the Institute. Of having gotten myself and my friends into irreparable damage because I was selfish and impulsive.

I saw my face reflected in the glass. My eyes looked glassy and my skin had paled. I really had hoped that New York would get us somewhere. I clenched my jaw tightly against the swear words that threated to spill forth and spun a three-sixty, taking in our surroundings. There had to be some clue, an infinitesimal hint at the least, about where to go from here.

Tucked into a far corner situated behind a wooden desk sat a secretary who pretended to type on the keyboard in front of her while actually watching us covertly from the corner of her eyes. While her gaze flickered between all of us I couldn't help but notice how her gaze lingered longer on Fang then necessary. She was about twenty-five, really too old for him and… I stopped my train of thought right there, attributing my newfound notice of all things Fang to Nudges berating the night before.

I headed over to her.

"Can I help you?" She asked as I approached her. Up close I could see that she was probably younger than twenty-five, but not by much. Her brown hair was pulled back into a hairstyle that my hair would never cooperate with but would score her fashion points in Nudges book. As would her trendy yet office appropriate blouse and skirt ensemble.

Maybe I was treating her unfairly but I decided that I didn't like her.

My friends fell into place beside me as I leaned against the higher counter of the desk.

"Yeah, I was wondering if you could tell us anything about the Institute for Higher Living? This is the last known address we have."

Her perfectly waxed brows furrowed in confusion as she addressed me. "There's no Institute of any kind here. These are mostly attorney offices." Her eyes flicked to Fang and then back to me.

"Well can you check?" I asked, perhaps a little too harshly. "Maybe they left a forwarding address, you know, before you worked here. The address was from a few years ago, I'm pretty sure you were still in school then."

I was one to talk; I'd just graduated high school a few days ago, let alone attended college.

She attempted to glare at me but it was weak in comparison to my own so I stood unaffected. Her perfectly manicured nails tapped against the keyboard a few times before she looked back to me.

"There has never been an Institute for Higher Living in this building while under the ownership this landlord and he's been here for about ten years. I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"Well, strike…what number was that? Thirty six?" Iggy asked as we exited the building. "Guess the Institute lied about their address."

_Yeah, didn't see that one coming. _I thought to myself.

….

"So what happened?" I asked Nudge later that night once we'd retreated to our hotel room once again. We were both seated on her bed our legs folded lotus style as we faced each other. "When everyone realized that I was gone?"

I couldn't stop imagining my mom freaking out and crying when she realized I wasn't at Nudges and found my note. It racked up the guilt so high within me that I felt like I was about to combust. I needed to know.

"Well all hell broke loose, really." She admitted, pushing a few loose strands of curly hair out of her eyes. "Your mom called me around dinnertime when you hadn't come home from our 'sleep over'," she made air quotes as she said 'sleep over'. "I told her that you weren't at my house, but I didn't tell her that you'd never been there. At first anyway. She started worrying and said that you weren't answering your phone. I told her to relax; maybe you were staying somewhere else for the night. Not that I had any idea where that would be but I just put the thought out there. You know, I figured that whatever reckless thing you were doing you would be finished by the next morning. I was trying to cover for you. But then I got another frantic call from your mom the next morning and I knew something was wrong. I went to your house and everyone was there. You family, Fangs family—because they'd realized he was gone by then too and made the connection—and Iggy was there, the police, heck, even Coach showed up at one point.

"When I got there it was creepy, everyone turned to stare at me, like I knew where you were! The police scared a confession out of me but I swear, when it came down to your safety I would have told them the truth of my own volition. Anyway, there was yelling, chastising, and frantic worrying. We found your note in your room and your parents were demanding that the police find you. They put out a BOLO on your car—that stands for 'Be On the Look Out' in police terms—but they didn't find it until later that day. By then I was dragged down to the station with everyone else. They aren't stupid, Max. They figured out right away that you were looking for your real parents. Nobody was really surprised, we're used to you doing stupid stuff like this, but it was so dangerous!

"And then, around eight the call came in that your car had been found on some deserted road in Death Valley. They sent us pictures and when we saw Dory all beat up your mom practically fainted! The police in California said that it seemed like you were hit on the driver's side but you'd gotten out of the car. They didn't know where you were though because there wasn't anything for miles and they couldn't find you.

"I think the police are still searching Death Valley for you two. Me on the other hand…well I'd managed to go through your computer before the police got a hold of it and I did my hacker thing and found out about the Institute. Then I heard the police talking about Jeb Batchelder's last known locations and one was in New York and one was in Florida. Anyway, I knew that in order to get to either of those you'd have to use the LAX airport because it was the closest one that was big enough to run continental flights. So when the police took me in for questioning I asked for some water and while the officer was gone I hacked into the LAX security cameras and got lucky. I saw you and Fang buying tickets for New York.

"So I grabbed Iggy, ran home and packed a few things, and we were off for New York. We got here about an hour before you two did."

I was silent. I'd been through a lot in those three or so days up until Nudge had found me but at least I knew where everyone I loved was. Mom and Dad didn't. I may be the one in danger here but they were the ones who had to worry the most. Hell, I wondered if they even knew I was alive after they saw the damage done to my car.

"You know," Nudge said quietly, "It wouldn't kill you to call them and let them know you're alright."

I bit my lip before shaking my head. I wanted to, but I didn't want to drag them in to this. Besides, they might try to come find me. I told Nudge as much.

"Besides," I added. "You disappeared too. They have to know you went after me….damn it." I swore as pieces started falling into place in my mind. Questions I should have asked from the get go. "Nudge? Did you use a credit card to pay for your plane tickets?"

"….maybe." She whispered.

"_Nudge!" _I shouted, panic and dread fighting their way into my heart. "Why would you do that? You could lead them straight to us!"

Maybe that was the point.

"So what? Are you saying that you don't want to see your family? That you don't want the polices' help? I'm sure they could point us in the right direction!" She cried out in defense.

"I don't want them involved in this! It's too dangerous!" I was off the bed and throwing my clothes into my duffle bag once again. We had to get moving. My parents, or the FBI, or both were probably already in the city looking for us.

"It can't be that bad-"

"You weren't there!" I shrieked as images of the experiments from the School ran through my mind. I could practically feel the claws digging into my shoulder, smell the rancid breath that made its way down my neck. I felt tears starting to collect behind my eyes. "You didn't see those things. You didn't get chased, snatched, and pummeled by them. You have no idea what it's like! Just…go home Nudge."

"I'm not leaving you. You're my best friend and I refuse to leave you alone in this. I'm sorry that you're mad at me for what I did but I still say it was the right thing to do." She sounded hurt but I refused to be phased by it.

I pulled a hoodie over my head and tucked my hair into it. For all I knew the police were circulating photos of me right this minute.

"Where do you think you're going?" Nudge demanded. "It's nine o'clock at night. We're in the city that never sleeps. Do you really think they'll find us in this small hotel in the middle of that?" She pointed to the map spread out on my bed as she spoke. The map took up most of my bed when unfolded. "You're less than a dot on that map, Max. With over a million other dots to hide you. We can stay put for the night. Are you even listening to me? I'm telling you—"

But I had stopped listening. Stopped moving. Stopped breathing.

The map…

"Oh my god, _Nudge!_" I gasped as I bolted to my bed and picked up the map, my eyes scouring the page for something, _anything _familiar. I found nothing.

My heart pounded in my chest.

"What?" She asked, alarmed as she joined me by the map.

"At the School Fang and I managed to get onto one of their computers and when we searched the files we found something on the Institute. When I researched the Institute further a map came up on it. I didn't take note of the street names but that's not the point because—"

"Wait wait!" Nudge held her hands up in a calming gesture. "Even I didn't understand all of that, you were talking way to fast." She complained. "Let me get this straight: when you were in the School you found a map connected to the Institute and you think it was New York?"

"It had to be! There are no cities in Florida this big!" I nodded eagerly.

"Alright, so all you have to do is match up what that section of the map looked like to this one?" Nudge gasped, excitement lighting in her eyes.

"No! That's the point! The map didn't look like this one!"

Her eager expression collapsed.

"I don't get it." She said sadly.

"The Institute isn't in New York City. It's under it!"

* * *

><p><strong>A little bit of Max jealousy never goes too far now, does it? I think Max is onto something, don't you? Read and Review!<strong>

**Peace! **


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: James Patterson owns Maximum Ride. No copyright infringement intended. **

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 24<strong>

"And you think it meant the subway because…?" Iggy asked as he, Fang, and Nudge struggled to keep up with my fast pace.

"Because it didn't form quadrants like all of New York's streets do. It cut diagonals! That and there weren't hundreds and hundreds of streets, just a few main ones. You know, the A Train, B Train, C Train—"

"Yeah, I know the alphabet." Iggy cut me off. "But that's a lot of ground to cover. Besides, how would there be a genetics lab in a subway?"

I shrugged, wincing as my duffle bag put strain on my bruised shoulder. "You hear about entire homeless communities in the abandoned subway tunnels of New York all the time. Why can't someone convert one to a lab without notice?"

"Well I think it's pure genius that you figured that out." Nudge informed me as we arrived at our destination, a brown brick, low lying building with a big awning covered window proclaiming that it had the best coffee in New York City.

"How does she do it?" I heard Fang ask Iggy as we entered the internet café that the man at the front desk of our hotel had told me about.

"So all we have to do now is figure out where any and all abandoned subway tunnels are and if maybe there is one under Thirty-First Street. That would be the first one I'd want to check out." I sipped my coffee as I waited for Google to load.

"How do we do that?" Fang asked.

"Easy," Nudge answered. "All building leases, construction permits, etcetera are available to the public. All we have to do is go to the city's public website. We could probably go to some government building to get original copies of everything but they'd be closed by now. Digital will work just as well."

Ten minutes later I was pulling up page after page of subway tracks. Some were specified to show the age of the tunnel, others the route and arrival times, and, the one I was particularly interested in, a complete layout of all the tracks, marked whether they were active or not.

"Alright. Green means active, red means under construction, and blue means inactive." I read the legend.

"That's a lot of blue." Iggy observed. I nodded in dismal agreement. At least two dozen blue lines marked the labyrinth that was the New York Subway.

"So we narrow it down." Fang declared. "Max, can you print out this page and the one map that showed when each tunnel was built?"

"Yeah," I murmured as I did as he requested.

"Okay, now put them side by side." He commanded once I held both copies. Again I did as he said. "Now look. These blue ones over here weren't even built until two years ago or more recently, there's no way the Institute could be there." He said as he traced the blue lines with his index finger. "And these," he pointed to several different lines at the bottom corner of the page, "They were built way back in the day, probably too structurally unsound to support a lab."

"And these," I broke in, "were closed down because they tend to flood so there's no way any Institute could survive there." As we eliminated possibilities we drew black X marks through them with a pen we'd found on the table.

"That leaves only six or so for us to really consider. And this one," he pointed to a small blue line towards the right of the page, "is closest to Thirty-First Street."

"Thirty-Third Street." I read before consulting the website to see why it was shut down. "It says here that it was shut down because it frequently lost power and was unreliable for a subway route."

"Well, on a list of problems a secret lab can fix, I'm sure rerouting energy is one of them." Fang announced. After seeing what the other lab could do I was inclined to agree.

"So," I said. "Let's check it out."

….

We stopped by a local twenty-four hour store first to buy a few flashlights, a thing of rope, and anything else we thought could come in handy. Once we finished there we headed off to the subway entrance closest to Thirty-Third Street.

You'd think sneaking into an inactive subway tunnel would be difficult; perhaps guarded by several big tough guys with mustaches. But no, the subway station was pretty deserted and nobody noticed when four teenagers slipped down the dark tunnel via a small yellow painted edge.

"Don't step on the third rail," Iggy read as he pointed his flashlight at a small sign right within the tunnel. "I wonder why."

"Let's just say that if you don't want to be human popcorn you'll stay off of it." Fang advised him.

Ew.

"Okay, so we're following Thirty-Third Street right now." I said as I shined my flashlight on the map we'd printed back at the cyber café. "The abandoned tunnel is just ahead. To the left."

"I find it hard to believe," Nudge started, pausing infrequently in her sentences as she focused on where she stepped. "That such a secret place would be so close to such a busy terminal."

"That's a good point," I admitted grudgingly as I focused my flashlight further down the tunnel. "But it's all we have right now."

"I know I'm just saying…EW!" Her shriek reverberated through the tunnel and through my head.

"What?" We chorused, all turning to focus our flashlights on her where she brought up the rear of our party.

"I saw a-a-a _rat!_" She squeaked.

We all stood there nonplussed.

"Seriously?" I asked after a moment of silence. "You're in a fricken New York Subway tunnel and you scream because of a rat? What did you expect to be down here? Puppy dogs?"

"Well that was a big rat! Like mutant!" She screwed her face up in a disgusted expression.

Iggy shrugged. "Maybe that means we're getting close."

Fang and I both reached up to slap him upside the head at the same moment.

"Ow! What was that for?" He demanded.

I just rolled my eyes in reply as I continued on down the tunnel.

…..

"Turn here." I instructed as we came upon another tunnel at last. It was darker than the last one and significantly smaller. I could see where my flashlights ray connected with the wall of a connecting, active, tunnel.

Disappointment started seeping into me as I took in the completely non-lab appearance of the tunnel. It had looked much larger on the map. But I hadn't come this far to give up.

"Alright, lets split up and look around." I suggested, hopping off the ledge and onto the tracks, being careful to avoid the third rail despite the tunnels total lack of electricity. I headed to the other side of the tunnel to inspect the wall. It was covered with graffiti from numerous gangs over the years. Curse words, threats, insults, artwork, insignias, the wall had it all. It took me twenty minutes to walk from one end to the other while I read all of it. I heard the others moving around the tunnel completing similar actions. I heard Nudge and Iggy whispering quietly in the background.

It was on my third circuit of the wall, when I felt the seeping disappointment turn into a complete downpour, that I noticed it.

Well, tripped over it.

As I regained my balance against the wall I aimed my flashlight downward to inspect what had tripped me.

A large rusted grate was inlaid in the platform, beyond it I could make out a metal ladder and blackness.

"Over here!" I called, excitement making its way into my voice. "Over here, I think I found it."

I kneeled down and tugged at the bars. They made a creaking noise but other than that remained unmoved.

"So it's not in the tunnel?" Nudge asked as she and the others joined me.

"I don't know where this leads," I admitted. "But I'm going to find out. Fang, Iggy, give me a hand."

Between the three of us we were able to raise the grate enough to slide it onto the ledge, leaving the opening exposed.

"Um...it smells." Nudge complained as we all poked our heads over the entrance, trying to see what could be down below.

I shone my flashlight down once again but I couldn't see the bottom. I could, however, hear the running of water.

"My guess is that this is the sewer." I said as I shifted my position enough to back up and touch my foot to the first rung of the ladder.

"And we're going down there?" Nudge squeaked, her face taking on a greenish tinge.

"Yes, we are. Or I am at least." I said as I started to make my way down the ladder. It wriggled a little but otherwise stayed put.

"But that's gross!"

"So stay here and keep guard." I called up to her as I made my decent.

"I'm going too," I heard Fang say.

"Wait until I reach the bottom!" I called back up. "I don't think this ladder will hold more than one person at a time."

Nobody said anything after that, at least, not that I heard. It took two minutes of careful climbing for me to fully descend into the sewer system of New York City.

The pungent smell was nearly overwhelming, forcing me to pull the collar of my shirt over my nose.

Luckily the ladder did not let me off in the actual water. Instead it let me off on a ledge very similar to the one I'd just left my friends on. The only difference was that instead of avoiding a third rail we'd be avoiding the sewer water.

"Okay!" I called up to them. "I'm down."

One by one the others climbed down the ladder, first Fang, then Iggy, and finally Nudge.

"Oh gross, gross, gross!" Nudge squealed as she danced from foot to foot waving her hands in front of her nose.

"Stop messing around." I snapped. "The last thing I need is for you to lose your balance and fall into _that_." I pointed to the dark, fast moving liquid to our right. Nudge froze immediately.

"Which way?" Fang asked as he cast his flashlights beam all around us.

That was a good question. I hadn't printed out any maps of the New York sewers.

"Umm…that way." I said, pointing forward, following the path of the subway tunnel we'd first crept down.

….

"What are we looking for?" Nudge asked after fifteen minutes of tedious walking. It was slow going. The ledge was slippery with god knows what and it made it very difficult for us to keep our balance.

I shrugged. "Anything that could lead to the Institute."

"She has no clue what to look for, does she?" She whispered to Iggy when she thought I couldn't' hear her.

I chose to ignore that comment because I really didn't know what I was looking for. I guess I was waiting for a sign to jump out in front of me and hit me in the face.

It's ironic how things work out.

For one, it didn't hit me in the face_. I_ hit _it_ with my face. Literally. After another ten minutes of walking I stepped wrong and lost my balance. I pin wheeled my arms to keep myself from falling into the waste water and ended up overcorrecting my balance pitching forward into the side of the tunnel.

Brick tunnels don't make a resonating thud when you hit them with your face. Metal does.

And that's what I'd hit. A gray metal door sunk into the grimy wall of the New York City sewer system.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, how lucky, or clumsy, does Max have to be to find the only door within the <em>entire<em> New York City sewer system? And what do you think is waiting for them behind the door? Will they even be able to get through it? Who knows? I'd love to hear your thoughts! Read and Review!**

**Peace!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer: James Patterson owns Maximum Ride. No copyright infringement intended.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 25<strong>

"I'm not even going to ask how you did that." Iggy declared as I pointed out the door. Everyone oriented themselves so they could watch as I grasped the slightly slimy handle and pulled.

It was locked, of course but thanks to my privacy violating strawberry blond friend we were able to open it. I couldn't even begin to count the number of times I'd caught Iggy violating my privacy with his lock picking techniques. The first time it had happened was when we were seven and he picked the lock on my diary. I'd found him acting out my private thoughts before my giggling little sister. I'd hit him upside the head and stuffed a dirty sock in his mouth for it. It hadn't stopped him from doing it in the future, it had just forced him to become more creative. That experience had, however, put me off of diary keeping for life.

"Twenty-five seconds, I think that's a personal best." I informed Iggy as he stowed his lock picking kit back in his bag.

"Naw, I've done better. Like that time when we were fifteen and you wouldn't let me in your room so I—"

"Enough!" I interrupted, ignoring Nudges giggles and Iggy's smirk. I didn't need a reminder of the incident responsible for the chain lock that I'd installed on the inside of my bedroom door. "Let's get going."

The door swung open with a teeth grating shriek revealing a dark, endless staircase ahead of us. Going down of course.

"Yeah, this is what we need," Fang muttered. "A staircase going down to the Dark Place."

"You first Max." Iggy said, ever the gentleman.

I pushed forward despite my fear for what we might find at the bottom and started descending the stairs.

"So," I heard Fang whisper to Iggy. "What happened when you guys were fifteen?"

"Tell him and you die," I hissed into the darkness.

A few moments of silence, then "Sorry man, but she scares me more than you do."

The stairs ended after about forty feet. I was beginning to wonder how far below the streets of New York we were. In front of me stood another door. This one was made of a thick wood and, lo and behold, was unlocked. I guess they figured the only people who got this far were meant to be here. They obviously underestimated the willpower of a pissed off Maximum Martinez and her motley crew.

The tension in the air mounted as I twisted the knob, fully expecting a swarm of mutant dog-things to burst out and maul me. Instead the door opened to a small room the size of a walk in closet. Cool air washed over me, a great relief from the stench of the sewers above, as motion censored lights flickered to life. The room ended in another door.

"This is beginning to feel like one of those Chinese Doll's. Open one and there's another one waiting." Iggy commented. "First the subway, then the sewer, then the door, then the last door, and now _this _door. How many more are there?"

"Well that's the funny thing about the Chinese Dolls, Iggy." I informed him as I strode forward to the other door. "It has to end somewhere."

And then I opened the last door.

…..

"Um…._wow._" Nudge breathed as she took in the sight before her. "How is all of this down here?"

That was a good question. I'm not sure why I was stunned by the sight before me. Honestly, after the School nothing should have surprised me when it came to the scientists ability to make the seemingly impossible possible. But this did.

The room was almost an exact replica of the School. Sterile white surfaces, cool air thick with the smell of disinfectant, rows and rows of computers, some taller than me, dry erase boards littered with diagrams and formulas.

It was empty.

I guess even evil geniuses go home for dinner. There was no need for nighttime security down here below the sewers. Most people weren't stupid enough to come searching down here. The only thing I was worried about running into was the dog things. I could practically feel their presence somewhere in the facility, however the room in front of us was empty of any experiments.

With silent footsteps we made our way through the rows of computers. All of their screens were dark aside from one at the far corner whose screen glowed blue.

"Nudge," I whispered as I pointed to it. "You're up."

With a nod she slipped into the rolling chair that went to the computer terminal and started typing. Fang and I both leaned over her shoulders as we watched her type in seemingly random numbers and letters.

"Impressive," Fang whispered as the computers lock screen dissolved into the default background of the desktop, a picture of two children smiling at the camera. Apparently the man—as I could tell by the Bud-Light advertisement and Sports Illustrated magazine tucked into the top drawer—was a proud father. The image on the screen completely contradicted my idea of a mad scientists personality. They were supposed to have pictures of tortured animals as their background, not a happy family.

"Right," Nudge said as she clicked a bunch of buttons and pulled up what looked like a search engine though I hadn't seen her click the internet button. "All we need to do is type in what we're looking for and it will automatically search everything that this computer has stored on it and everything it has access too based on this persons security clearance." She turned to look at me. "What do you want me to type in?"

My throat instantly went dry and it took me two tries to finally get the words out.

"Batchelder. Jeb and Anne Batchelder."

Nudges fingers seemed to blur over the keyboard as she typed and suddenly dozens of new windows were popping up.

"All of this?" I choked out, my grip on the computer desks edge tightening until the tips of my fingers went white. "All of this has to do with…with my parents?" There was so much information! At the School we'd gotten virtually nothing in connection to them whether that was because we didn't have Nudge's skills or because they hadn't had anything on them I didn't know. "Wh-where do we start?"

"Well from what I see most of these documents say Jeb and Anne Batchelder because they were the lead researchers on the experiments in question. A few of these are orders they've given too. Seems like they're pretty high up in this…organization."

"Does any of it say where they are? Are they here in New York? Or are they at some other facility?" I demanded in rapid fire, my breathing coming notably faster.

"Alright," Nudge said a few clicks later. "It says here that the last time the Batchelder's were at this facility was over a year ago," I felt my throat tighten, "but it says that they've been continuing their work at the Florida facility."

"Are you sure?" I demanded, pushing my face closer to the screen so I could read what she was reading.

"Yeah, right here…" she pointed to the line she was reading from. "It says that they are currently working on a top level security experiment in their Florida facility. It even has a link to type of chat room set up within the organization that keeps all people who have access to it updated. Anne Batchelder last updated her experiments progress two days ago."

Hmm, evil scientists with Facebook. Who would have guessed?

"This chat room, how do people get on to it?" I asked as I scanned the website. If the police had this then they'd have the names of most of the people doing the illegal genetic testing, not to mention some pretty incriminating evidence.

"They have to have access to a computer with a secure link that's probably built into the computer itself. In terms of what you're thinking, we'd have to get the police here."

"So do it." I said.

"What?" Both she and Fang turned to stare at me.

"You heard me. You and Iggy stay here in New York while Fang and I go to Florida. That way you can bring them down here, they can get their evidence, and meet us in Florida to get my parents. Case closed."

"It's not that simple Max—" Nudge started.

"What's not simple? Look at this chat page! It has _hundreds _of scientists discussing different experiments. They're all over the world! Look," I thrust my finger at the computer screen. "This one's from Australia, and this ones from England. Oh, and all of these scientists are from Germany. This operation is huge. The authorities need this information ASAP. Imagine what kind of damage those scientists can do in just a short period of time."

"We broke in here! Anything we tell them isn't exactly usable evidence." She argued.

I smirked and the words fell from my lips before my brain even had time to process them.

"The way I see it, we didn't break in. My parents are some of the head honchos for this organization. So their daughter decided to bring some friends to the work place? It's not breaking in, especially because this facility is built on the city's property. And the door to the lab wasn't even locked. Print off everything you just pulled up on my parents, all of it, and wait here for the FBI guys from Montana. When they get here bring them down. They'll be able to see this place first hand and you can get them on to the chat room. Even the FBI can figure out where to go from there."

"I don't know how you do it." Fang murmured. "You're either one of the most twisted people I know, or the smartest." I flushed with resilient pride.

"But why do you have to go to Florida? Can't you just stay here and wait with us?" Nudge demanded.

"No. I have to find my parents. I want to hear what they have to say for themselves before the police get to them. And to do that I need to get to them before the police get here. As soon as the police get to the Institute they'll know about it and they'll be on the run. I need to stop that."

"But—"

"Uh, guys?" Iggy—who had given up joining us at the computer in favor of snooping around—interrupted our conversation. His tone of voice had us all on edge before he'd even finished talking. "We have a problem."

* * *

><p><strong>Oh boy, what do you think Iggy found?<strong>

**I'm so excited today! I went to one of my best friends signings! She's officially committed to playing soccer for a college team! I'm so proud of her. :) Needless to say it's put me in a good mood and is possibly responsible for this update. :)**

**So. Have any of you guys ever played with those Chinese puzzle dolls? They can be very annoying at times. I know how Iggy feels. :(**

**Thank you all for the fantastic reviews! Read and Review!**

**Peace! **


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

Struck dumb.

It's one of those strange terms that I've never really liked because, honestly, how can someone be 'struck dumb'? How would it happen and what does it mean exactly? Hit to the point of stupidity? I was never truly sure, that was, until now.

Now I understand struck dumb means that you are stunned into silence. Not silence really, more like your brain is completely lacking the ability to connect one thought to the next. No neurons were firing in the brain.

Like the four of us right now.

Iggy had found his way to a curtain covered wall and being his troublemaking self he had pulled the curtain aside. Behind the curtain, set on display for the rest of the lab, was a room full of cages. Cages containing small, child sized forms all sleeping soundly.

Each one of them was disfigured in some way. Changed. Altered. _Mutated. _

I screamed.

Fangs hand came down over my mouth, cutting my scream off short. Heart pounding furiously, I shook my head, trying to shake off both his hand and the image.

No, no, _no_! Testing on adults was one thing as horrible as that may be because they had the ability, the common sense, to object or at least know what they were getting into, but _kids? _They hadn't hurt anyone! They hadn't asked for this, there was no way they could have agreed to it because they wouldn't have understood the implications. It was just wrong.

And my parents were behind it.

I felt tears spill down my cheeks as that realization hit me. My parents, the people responsible for my life, were making the lives of so many other people miserable.

"Hey, don't cry." Fang said, removing his hand from my mouth and draping his arm over my shoulder instead. "It's not your fault," he whispered as if he knew what I was thinking. He probably did. For someone who I hadn't known for very long he was incredibly good at reading me.

"But t-they did this." I gasped unable to resist the urge to bury my face in his shoulder. I heard Iggy and Nudge move away, whether to give us privacy or investigate I didn't know but I was grateful for the privacy just the same. "How could they do this?" I demanded as I pulled away to look back through the glass wall. Little children. These were children, some as young as two years old by the looks of it! I caught a glimpse of golden curls and my mind immediately brought up a picture of Angel in one of those cages, demoralized and in pain. The image made me want to vomit. "We have to get them out."

"And do what with them?" Fang asked softly. "Turn them loose on the streets? Take them to Florida with us? No, what's best for everyone, especially them, is to leave them here until Nudge and Iggy get the FBI down here. That will be tomorrow or the next day. Then the government will find a place for them. It will be safer for them." He assured me.

"But I can't leave them down here." I whispered. "Who knows what's going to happen to them in that day or two?"

"Think of it this way. If you have this bad of a reaction to them after seeing those dog things, after knowing full well what they were capable of, imagine how it will make the FBI and the police feel when they storm this place and find these children in cages. There's no way in hell any of these scientists will escape jail time. They need to be left like this for now."

Fang made sense but in my mind leaving them here was the ultimate betrayal. How could I just leave them here to be subjected to more experiments? It seemed like a crime against nature. _My _nature.

But if I wanted to take everyone down, including my parents, I had to do what Fang was suggesting. We'd have to leave immediately to get to Itex before they got wind of a raid on the Institute.

"Alright," I agreed dully. "Nudge, Iggy!" I called them over from where they were examining the cages more closely. "Put the curtain back up." I commanded. "Nobody can know we were here." As they started to follow my orders I headed back over to the computer we'd been using and tried to calm my shaking hands as I printed off a copy of every document related to my parents.

Almost seventy pages later I was rushing to gather them up and get ready to leave. I had Nudge erase all evidence of our time on the computer and then we were out of there.

…..

Nobody spoke on our return trip through the sewers. By the time we pulled ourselves up onto the subway platform it was nearly two in the morning and we were all exhausted physically, mentally, and emotionally.

We made our way back through the subway and back to our hotel rooms before I spoke.

"Nudge, you and Iggy are going to stay at the hotel room and call my parents back home. Tell them I'm safe and that Fang and I are busy but I'll see them soon. Then ask for Agent Tulsin—he's with the FBI—and tell him that you have the proof he needs to arrest my parents and every other god damned evil scientist they work with. Have him come here and when he does give him these papers." I handed over the entire stack minus the page about my parents and Itex. "That, plus your statements should be more than enough to get them a warrant for the Institute. Once they get there it's their problem to deal with. Just make sure that they take care of those kids down there, okay?"

"Yeah, alright Max but—"

"No buts." I said. "I need you two to do this. You know how important it is and you know that somebody has to do it. But someone needs to confront my parents too and I need that person to be me. So please, no arguing."

"How are you getting to Florida?" Nudge asked.

I smiled meekly at her.

"Well, since the police are probably looking for me at the airport thanks to your little credit card stunt I'm thinking we take the bus out of the city at the very least and figure it out from there." I admitted. "But before I go anywhere I need a shower."

I could no longer stand the stench of sewer on my body.

I took a good twenty minutes to use a combination of extremely hot water and a loofa to get rid of at least two layers of skin before I felt clean enough. Once I had changed and packed my belongings once again Fang—also freshly showered—and I said our goodbyes to Nudge and Iggy and headed for the nearest bus station.

….

"The nearest long distance trip heading south is to Washington D.C." Fang informed me as he read the arrival/departure board above the heads of the swarming crowd. Apparently the bus station in New York never slept either. "It leaves in fifteen minutes. Every other bus doesn't leave for another two hours at least."

"Then that will have to do." I agreed. D.C was huge so I was sure we'd be able to find further transportation from there.

I bought the tickets with my dwindling supply of cash and Fang and I managed to find two seats on the bus right next to each other. We stored our bags in the overhead compartment before slumping down on the stained fabric seats, exhaustion washing over us in colossal waves.

"Everything's going to work out, right?" I asked Fang as I suppressed a yawn. I don't know why I asked it. I'd sounded so confident when I'd told Nudge that things would work out back at the Institute and the hotel. I guess I just needed someone else to say it too.

"Yeah, Max." He whispered back to me after a minute's hesitation. "Everything's going to be all right."

…..

"A train?" I questioned. Not just any train: Amtrak. Apparently that's a fancy train or something. "Seriously?"

Fang shrugged. "With the amount of money we have left it's about our only option. It will take us about twenty-six hours to get to Miami and from there we we'll have to find another way to Itex. But it's faster than a bus and cheaper than an airplane."

He was doing it again. Being sensible. I understood that he was proposing the best situation but I couldn't stand the thought of sitting inactive for an entire day. We hadn't stopped moving since we'd left Montana and I was afraid that if I didn't do anything for an entire day I'd lose my mojo. Besides, it was entirely possible that Nudge and Iggy would pull through in record time and have the Institute flooded with law enforcement by then. My parents could be gone by the time we got there.

But still….

We really didn't have any other options.

"Okay," I sighed in agreement. "Two tickets to Miami it is."

…..

"You've been staring at those papers since last night. Where is Itex exactly?" Fang asked me about seven hours into our train ride. We'd both passed out once we'd gotten to our compartment—also called a room on Amtrak—and had only recently woken up.

"Right outside of a city called Homestead. It's right on the edge of the Everglades. According to this paper they've told the surrounding community that Itex is a government owned research facility trying to use resources from the everglades as a source of natural energy."

"And nobody from the government has blown that charade to bits?" Fang scoffed.

I waved the paper in front of his face. It was basically a full blown report about Itex from its inception until today. It covered all the bases. "They have someone in the office that would usually investigate matters like that. They submitted a fake report saying that Itex was legit. Sneaky bastards."

"So from Miami to Homestead shouldn't be that far." Fang observed. "If it's right near the everglades."

I nodded. I'd asked one of the Amtrak workers that very question when we'd first gotten on the train. "About thirty miles."

Fang let out a sigh before slumping back against his seat. "I still can't believe you managed to figure this whole thing out." He said.

"What do you mean? I'm just following what all of the information is telling me. Besides, I had you, Iggy, and Nudge helping me."

He shook his head. "No, Max. You had us following your lead. That's different. Yeah, we were able to be useful and throw in a suggestion here or there but you're the one who got the original information in Montana. You're the one who managed to get us to the School. You're the one who found the Institute _beneath the sewer system of New York City. _And you're the one who's getting us all of the way to Itex. You've managed to pull something off that not even the FBI could do. Thanks to you all of this sick sorry excuse for science will be shut down and a lot of lives saved."

"But I couldn't have done it alone." I reminded him, embarrassed by his compliment. "You got us into that lab in the School, you helped us get away from Fido and He man, you helped narrow down where to look for the Institute, and hell, we'd be nowhere near Itex without Nudges hacking skills. Even Iggy helped by picking that lock and finding all of those experiments. And the two of them are about to hand the FBI my parents on a silver platter. We _all _were a part of bringing them down."

"Say it however you want, Max, but you did it." He said stubbornly.

"Whatever. I just want to go home and see my family again. I want all of this behind me."

"Soon enough," Fang said comfortingly. "We're almost there."

* * *

><p><strong>So a lot happened in this chapter, even if it doesn't seem like it. 1) Max had a mini breakdown which I find important. Its necessary to view her as a real teenager in this story, not an ass kicking avian hybrid. 2) The FBI is only a hop, skip, and a jump away from getting the Batchelder's. 3) Max and Fang are on their way to (and I promise this!) the FINAL place to look for her parents. 4) Fang comforted Max sweetly and showed that he's been paying attention to everything she's done this whole time. And pretty much says he thinks shes amazing. :) And 5) Lets not forget that Max and Fang are once again together without anyone else to be interfering with them (ahem Nudge and Iggy). <strong>

**Sorry that there were no sadistic Erasers in this chapter but just wait, they're coming!**

**Also, with the way that this story is headed, there will be 37 chapters. Just so you know :)**

**Read and Review!**

**Peace! **


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer: James Patterson owns Maximum Ride. No copyright infringement intended. **

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 27<strong>

"Could you walk a little faster?" Fang asked impatiently as we wound our way through the crowded Amtrak station.

"Well pardon me," I panted. "But I'm used to the dry mountains of Montana where we drink our water, not breath it in."

The midsummer heat and humidity in Florida was astounding. I hadn't experienced a gradual change from the weather in D.C. to the weather in Florida; rather I'd been tossed in to it unsuspectingly. I hadn't realized how air conditioned the train had been until I'd stepped out and into the Miami station. "How come you're not bothered by it?" I asked as we passed a group of foreign tourists with big cameras permanently attached to their faces.

"I used to live in Florida." He informed me, reaching back and grabbing my hand so he didn't lose me as the crowd bottlenecked at the exit. I tried to ignore the tingles that contact with his skin generated.

"Really? Why didn't you mention that already?" I asked in surprise.

He shrugged. "Saw no reason to. I lived in north Florida, not south. Plus, it was a few years ago."

"How long were you here for?" I asked. It had never occurred to me that Fang had lived outside of Montana. I thought foster kids usually stayed in the state they were born in.

"A year, when I was ten."

"How did you end up in Montana?"

He never talked about his past, I had observed, always shying away from the questions that would open those doors. For once I wanted to know something about him. He knew my entire life story, heck he could write a biography on me if he wanted. I couldn't even tell you where Fang had lived during his life, or where he wanted to live, or what he wanted to do with his life. Hell, I didn't know his favorite color.

He huffed in annoyance. "I worked my way west through a bunch of foster homes over the years. Florida was only one stop of many."

"How many foster homes have you stayed at?"

"Does it really matter?" He asked, stopping so suddenly that I ran into his back. He turned to glare at me. I knew it was because I was hitting a touchy subject. People complained and pushed around us as we obstructed the flow of traffic but I could care less.

"Yes, it does. I know you haven't met a lot of people who stick around in your life, Fang, but I'm not one of them. I'm not planning on ditching you after we get back to Montana. Whether you like it or not you've made a friend out of me and friends know things about each other. They care about each other. Now you know my life biography cover to cover and its time I learned some of yours."

A strange look flickered across his face before he managed to hide it. But it was too late, I'd seen it. My words had hit home. I wondered if anyone other than a social worker or someone paid to be nosy, had ever taken the time to really get to know Fang. To ask him about himself. The flash of pure astonishment in his eyes led me to assume that they hadn't. I'd caught him completely off guard.

"Uh, not now." He said in a gruff voice.

"If not now, then when?" I demanded. "Because I refuse to let you avoid this for much longer."

"How about long enough to stop blocking everyone's way?" He smirked as he looked over my shoulder and behind me. I cast a glance in that direction to see that the crowd had indeed intensified thanks to our wedge in the stream.

"Oops," I flushed red. "Fine. We'll catch the next bus to Homestead and then you can tell me all about your childhood." I said in the tone of voice that left no room for argument.

Fang acquiesced a moment later. "I know you won't let this go otherwise."

….

An hour later we were making our way down US-1 in an old Greyhound bus. It seemed to me that more than half of this trip consisted of travel via public transit. It made me miss Dory even more. However, the travel time did give us opportunities for rest and talk.

This time was no exception.

"Alright, time for some Q and A." I informed Fang, turning so that I leaned my back against the window and faced him.

"What do you want to know?" He asked quietly, shifting so that his upper body was angled towards me, a reluctant look on his face.

I shrugged. "Everything."

"Can you narrow it down a bit?" Despite his sarcastic tone his eyes held amusement.

"What's your favorite color?" I asked. I was pretty sure—based on his completely black wardrobe—that I could guess the answer, but I wanted it straight from the source.

"Are you serious?" He asked raising an eyebrow and gesturing to his black ensemble.

"Well I figured I'd give you a chance to tell me yourself!" I defended myself. "For all I knew you could be a closet pink fan."

He scrunched up his nose in distaste. "Next question."

"When is your birthday?" I knew he was eighteen, I just didn't know as of when.

"January thirteenth."

"Where were you born?"

"North Carolina."

"How many places have you lived?"

"States or foster homes?" He asked.

"Both."

"Seven states, thirteen foster homes not including Marcy."

I felt my eyes widen. "Really? That many?"

"Yup. I went through three foster homes in North Carolina, two in Florida, one in Texas, two in Arizona, three in Colorado, one in California, and one in Oregon."

"Um…wow." I breathed. He'd been all over America and I'd never left Montana before now. "Which, um, which state was your favorite?"

"Montana. But that's because of the home, not necessarily the state. If I was going off of the area itself I'd have to say Colorado. I loved the cool mountain air. Florida was the worst, I'm sure you can guess why."

"Stupid humidity." I agreed. "Why have you gone through so many homes?" I asked tentatively.

His jaw tightened against the intrusive question. I guess for someone who'd never trusted anyone, disclosing all of this information about himself to me was very difficult. It meant a lot to me that he'd told me this much so far.

"Most places kicked me out," he admitted in a whisper. I leaned closer in order to hear him. "Too many kids in one place so they got rid of their least favorite kid. That was always me because I'd never talk to anyone. A lot of those places just wanted the money from the state anyway." I felt tears prick behind my eyes. I could just picture a younger Fang, dark haired and gawky with youth, as he kept away from his foster siblings and parents, never one for crowds or people in general.

"I'm sorry," my voice broke as I spoke, looking into his eyes as I did. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. Nobody deserves that. Especially you."

"And why is that?" He asked with a wry smile. "There are so many kids in the foster system and none of them deserve to be there." He shrugged it off. "Besides, if they hadn't booted me around so much I never would have met Angel and Gazzy."

We both smiled as we thought of the two blond haired demon-children that waited for us back in Montana.

"When did they come into your life?" I asked, shifting slightly closer to him.

"In Oregon. We were put in the same home. Our foster mom was nice enough but she got sick and couldn't keep us anymore. So they sent us to Marcy. I'm just glad that they let us stay together. Marcy could have easily said that three kids were too many. And I was almost eighteen at the time. She could have turned me away easily. I wouldn't have gone to another home; I'd have just been turned loose to fend for myself. I could have done it," he shrugged, "but I like it better this way."

_Me too, _I thought. _I like it a lot better this way._

"Well," I said as I cleared my throat, trying hard to talk around the lump that had formed there during his story. "I'm glad things worked out in the end."

There was a moment of silence between the two of us. He didn't know how to answer what I'd just said and I had no idea what to say next. Our breathing filled the small space between us.

Suddenly the bus jolted beneath us, knocking me off balance and into Fang.

"Sorry," I gasped, my face pressed up against his chest as he grabbed a hold of my arms in order to keep me off the floor.

"It's fine," he assured me. I pulled away just enough to crane my neck in order to look up. I gasped as I found his face extremely close to mine, his obsidian eyes boring into my brown ones. His warm breath washed over my cheeks leaving a tickling sensation with each exhale. His eyes flicked down to my lips and for a moment I thought he was going to kiss me. Instead he jerked himself away, releasing my arms as he went.

"Sorry," I repeated in a dazed tone as I turned to look out the window in hopes of hiding my blush. In doing so I caught sight of his reflection in the window. He was watching me, a strange expression on his face.

…..

Itex was a six story tall dull white building with trees creating a barrier between it and society. Unlike the School—the only other above ground facility I could compare it with—it practically screamed 'something bad is going down here'. It was surrounded by a chain link fence that only had one gate which was guarded by two men in uniform and the building itself had a limited number of windows.

"So," Fang said casually. "What's the plan?"

I scanned the area looking for something that we could use as a way in. The fence would be simple enough but the building itself seemed impenetrable from this distance. After an hour of scanning the facility the heat was getting to be unbearable even in the shade and I was afraid that snakes and spiders would soon come out to join their mosquito friends at the Max and Fang buffet.

"So hot," I complained as I slapped away yet another mosquito. "How on earth are you wearing black on a hot summer day in Florida and not dying of the heat?" I questioned him.

He shrugged but otherwise didn't answer my question. There really was no need to. I'd only said it to have something to say.

"Ugh, hot, hot, hot…_hot!_" I gasped as an idea flooded my head. "That's it!"

"What's it?" Fang asked, looking around, trying to see my solution.

"The heat!" I said in a 'duh' tone.

"I'm not following."

"We're in Florida. Of all places to need air conditioning this is the place. A big building like this? There has to be a HVAC box somewhere at the base of the building!"

He gave me a blank look. "What?" I asked self-consciously. "So Iggy decided to show me one of his favorite escape routes from school once. It's not like I actually ever used it. Contrary to what these past few days may have given the impression of, I'm not a rule breaker. I told you that when we got arrested."

Fang held his hands up in surrender. "I didn't say anything. Let's go test your theory."

The fence proved slightly more difficult then I'd originally thought, mostly because once we were on the top of it we were in plain view of the gate guards. Luckily for us we managed to find coverage through some of the trees. Our main problem began when we were on the inside of the property. There was no coverage of any sort until we got to the base of the building where thin shrubs surrounded it. If someone looked out a window they'd see us right away.

Unfortunately, after a quick run through of our options we realized that our only option was to risk it. A mad dash to the shrubs. Fang agreed upon this and once we were sure the guards weren't looking we darted out from the shade of the trees and towards the building. I kept expecting to hear shouting and the baying of dogs but no such thing happened and we dove into the cover of the bushes unseen.

"Now," Fang panted as we sat behind the cover of the bushes. "Where exactly would the HCV-whatever be?"

"HVAC." I corrected him without taking my eyes off our surroundings. "Anywhere around the perimeter." I added dully.

"Right. Great. Perfect. Let's go."

"Would it kill you to speak in full sentences?" I asked him as we started crawling towards the right of the building. I led the way because I knew what we were looking for.

"It's possible."

"It's ridiculous."

"Why are we fighting over my sentence structure when we are trying to be sneaky?" He demanded sharply.

"Good question. Because it's fun." I might have said more had it not been for the fact that I found what we'd been looking for. A large box-like structure attached to the building's exterior. The side of the box facing the bushes wasn't made of concrete but was composed of a grate that covered the entrance to the ventilation system of the facility.

Fang grabbed one side while I grabbed the other. Maybe it was the adrenalin pumping through our systems that made us stronger or maybe the lab forgot to run regular maintenance on the vent system, either way Fang and I were able to dislodge the grate from where it rested in the box.

Behind the grate was a fan. Three metal blades spun viciously in front of us, able to cut through any appendage we tried to sneak past.

I swore softly while I tried to find a way to disable it. I hadn't thought about the fan. In the HVAC box Iggy used to sneak through, the fan was long since broken.

With a sigh I turned to Fang to tell him that I had no clue what to do next. That's when Fang pushed ahead of me and thrust a large branch between the moving blades of the fan. With a nerve shaking grinding noise the fan halted, its blades just far enough apart that we could squeeze by them.

"Smart," I praised Fang as I slipped into the vent and past the fan. Fang pulled the grate back into place before following me. Once he was past the fan he yanked the branch free. The fan resumed its rotations but we no longer needed to worry about that.

Because we were in.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry it took me a while to update, guys. I had a major Literature project due this week and, while it was a group project, I did the entire thing. I'm exhausted and stressed but glad to get back to writing. Sorry if this chapter gets a little dry, but I wanted to show that there are plausible ways for Max and Fang to get into Itex without super avian strength. And we learned a little bit about Fangs past, and had a close call with some romance...and much more is to come :) Read and Review!<strong>

**Peace!**


	28. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer: James Patterson owns Maximum Ride. No copyright infringement intended.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 28<strong>

Nudge's POV

The hotel room was abuzz with life as FBI agents ran back and forth talking to each other. Only one remained still. Agent Tulsin sat in a chair at the end of the bed Iggy and I sat on as he read through the stack of papers Max had instructed me to give him once again. It had only been a few days since I'd seen him in the Martinez's living room yet I could tell despite his collected exterior that he was suffering from the stress of his job. His hair was lackluster and his suit looked wrinkled from his cross-country flight. Even though I viewed him as a somewhat annoying governmental machine, I couldn't help but feel slightly sympathetic towards him.

Slightly.

"And your saying that this place, the Institute, is below the sewers of New York?" He asked as he looked up from the papers. I groaned. We'd been over this five times already. I'd given Max and Fang an hour's head start before I'd called the Martinez's.

_Flashback_

_It was about one o'clock in the morning in Montana but Mrs. Martinez had answered practically on the first ring._

"_Hello?" She said. "Max, is this you?" The hope in her voice wracked me with guilt as I answered._

"_No Mrs. Martinez, its Nudge." I said softly. _

"_Nudge? Oh my god where are you baby? Your parents are worried sick, and so am I. Where did you and Iggy disappear to?" She demanded._

"_That's the thing Mrs. M, we're kinda in New York City." I twisted the phone cord around my finger in a nervous habit as I waited for her to reply._

"_New York?" I winced as her voice became shrill. "What are you doing there?"_

"_Well, we were looking for Max."_

_There was a pause in conversation and I could hear her heavy breathing on the other line. "Max?" She breathed. "Did you find her?"_

"_Well yeah we did but—"_

"_Let me talk to her!" She nearly shouted. I heard a rumble of voices in the background and I had to assume Mr. Martinez, and maybe even Ella, were there hanging on her every word._

"_She's not here anymore but—"_

"Not there anymore_? Where did she go? _Why_ did she go? Why didn't you stop her?"_

"_Mrs. M!" I shouted to stop her babbling. "You know that if Max has her mind set to something there's no stopping her. But she told me to tell you that she's fine. She said that she's safe and that you shouldn't worry because she'll see you guys soon. She also told me to ask you to get in touch with Agent Tulsin."_

"_Why?" She asked her voice thick with tears._

_I looked at Iggy who sat beside me. He silently nodded in encouragement and placed a gentle hand on my own. I took a deep breath. "Because she has the evidence they need to arrest her biological parents."_

_End Flashback_

The FBI had come knocking at our hotel room door at ten in the morning. The Martinez's were with them, as were mine and Iggy's parents, and Fangs foster mom. After twenty minutes of scolding, hugging, and crying we'd gotten down to business. And we hadn't stopped since.

"For the fifth time, yes." I groaned. "Do you think I'd make something that disgusting up? Believe me, it took two showers to get the smell off of me."

"Nudge," my mom scolded me from the other bed where all four sets of parents sat. The Martinez's looked worse than the last time I'd seen them, was it two or three days ago? Mr. Martinez hadn't taken the time to shave and his stubble made him look more haggard as did the dark circles under his eyes. Mrs. Martinez faired likewise, her hair fell un-styled down her back and the circles under her eyes looked more like bruises. Both were hanging on every word Iggy and I said.

"And how did you find it?" He asked.

"In short?" I asked. He nodded. "Max." I said simply.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"I mean Max figured it all out. She and Fang went to the School in California. The got into the lab and managed to get on a computer. Max said that she couldn't get much off of the computer, mostly because she doesn't know how to work with computers like I do, I mean, it's not really hard but she never wants to learn. Anyway, she found a document about the Institute and a weird map that went with it. She remembered the file on her parents said they frequented New York City so it was a place to start.

"Meanwhile I had pulled up Max's history on her computer and found out about her looking for the School. I worked my magic with the computer and found out about another facility owned by the same company in New York." I fudged how I'd known to go to New York. Hey, I didn't want to get arrested for messing with police resources. I figured that Max wouldn't care if I told the FBI her side of the story, seeing as her whole covert operation was pretty much blown out of the water by now. "So I grabbed Iggy and we flew to New York. We got lucky; we found Max and Fang at the airport.

"We did some research from there and found an institute listed in New York—the Institute for Higher Living—that was the only one that sounded about right. So we went to its last known address on Thirty-First Street but there was no record of the Institute ever being there. That's when Max remembered the weird map from the School. She realized that the map didn't draw out the blocks that New York City streets form. She thought they were the subway. So we went to an internet café and looked up the subway tunnels." I pointed to the creased papers that contained the map of the subway tunnels we'd used. "We found those maps and narrowed down our search to abandoned tunnels that met certain requirements. Max and Fang were really good at that part, I had no clue what was going on. So we figured the one on Thirty-Third Street was our best bet because it was close to Thirty-First Street.

"But when we go to the tunnel there was no Institute there. Max did, however, find a grate that led down to the sewer. I personally would have given up there but Max was her stubborn self and just went down there. Fang followed her and so did Iggy. I didn't want to be left alone so I went too.

"It was gross. Smelt horrible and there were ginormous rats everywhere. We walked for about half an hour and—I have no clue how the hell she did it—but Max found a metal door in the side of the tunnel. Iggy picked the lock and we went down the stairs on the other side. There were two more doors and on the other side of them was the Institute. Max and I hacked the computer and printed off those papers for you so you had the evidence you needed for a warrant. There are some creepy, sick experiments going on down there so I suggest you get that warrant fast. The sooner the better." I finished.

Everyone in the room had quieted to listen to my story. They were all staring at us now like we were the mutants. I guess nobody expected kids like us to be so resourceful and figure this out on our own.

"So, you can do it right?" I asked Agent Tulsin. "Get a warrant that is."

He nodded slowly. "Without a doubt. We've already put the request in with a judge. As soon as he signs it we'll need you two to lead us down to this Institute. We'll stop them."

"Good," I sighed, though the thought of going back into the sewers was not a fun one. "But if I can make a suggestion," I waggled my eyebrows at him.

He nodded in consent.

"Find a way to cut off the electricity to that place before you raid it. They have immediate contact with their other branches and if they get a message out before you get a chance to catch them, all of those scientists, including the Batchelder's, will get away." The thought of Max getting so close to her answers only to have her parents run before she could get there was such a horrible thought and I knew it'd kill her.

Agent Tulsin nodded again. "That's good reasoning." He agreed. "Now, I have another question for you two." He said, leaning forward so that his elbows rested on his knees and he looked at us from his chair.

_What now? _I thought tiredly as I leaned back against Iggy. He wrapped his arms around my waist and held me close.

"Where is Max now?" He asked. "For her safety, and for Nicks, I need you to tell us where she is."

I shook my head. "She's gone already."

"Gone where?" He demanded. I was acutely aware of every single person in the room. Their attention was focused on me and Iggy, waiting for one of us to answer.

"I'm sorry," I said, looking at Mrs. Martinez as I spoke. "But she asked me not to tell you." They'd figure I out when they got a hold of the computers in the Institute anyway.

"She could be in danger right this very moment." Agent Tulsin said. "I know you think you're protecting your friends and that's very noble, but I need you to tell us where she is."

Iggy sighed.

"Where do you think she is?" He demanded. "What's the one thing Max has been looking for this whole time and what's the one thing we didn't say we found?"

* * *

><p><strong>I know this was a shorter chapter, and I'm sorry, but I wanted everyone to know what was going on with Nudge and Iggy. The story was a bit repetitive but there were a few key things happening, too. As always, read and review! <strong>

**Peace!**


	29. Chapter 29

**Disclaimer****: James Patterson owns Maximum Ride. No copyright infringement intended.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 29<strong>

"It's a computer lab." Fang whispered as he loosened the vent over a vacant room.

"A computer lab? Really? What is it with us and finding the computer labs of these mad scientist facilities? Why can't we just get lucky and pop into a room that actually has what we need for once?" I complained as I took the vent cover that he passed back to me and set it carefully aside in the spacious vent. These mad scientists picked out the perfect vent systems for people to crawl around in.

"Well so far we've been 'popping' into empty rooms. Do you _want _to get caught? Because I'd take computers over that any day." He replied as he slipped feet first through the opening and dropped out of sight. I heard the slight 'thud' that assured me of his landing. I inched forward and looked over the edge of the opening. Fang stood as a dark pillar in a room of white. White floors, white walls, white appliances, and white lab coats hanging in neat rows by the far wall.

"You know," I said as I slid my legs so they dangled downwards. "Someone should consider introducing more colors to their color pallet around here. I mean, all of this white is practically blinding, and it gets dirty so fast. They'd be better with a darker color to hid dirt, and blood, and to match the sinister feeling that this place gives off."

"Are you coming or what?" Fang demanded from the room below.

In answer to his question I released my hold on the vent around me and went plummeting to the ground.

I nearly tumbled over as I landed awkwardly but Fang caught me and managed to keep me upright.

I flinched away from his grasp and the jolts of electricity that came with it. "Thanks," I mumbled before walking away. I paced along the walls of the room looking over all of the computers. "There's really no point in staying in this room." I admitted. "We've gotten everything we needed off of the computers at Itex. Now we just need to find my parents."

"And how are we going to do that without getting caught?" He asked, still in the same spot I'd left him in.

I shrugged. "I figured we'd wing it."

"Well that's comforting," he groaned. "Good to know that we have a plan."

"What kind of plan do you suggest we make?" I asked, miffed. "We had no idea what we were dealing with until we got here and really this whole trip has been about taking things one step at a time. A plan wouldn't have done us any good."

"We can't just go out there blind either." He pointed out.

"That's what we did at the School."

"And we both know how that ended."

"Well do you really see an alternative?" I demanded, propping my hands on my hips. All we were doing right now was wasting time and risking being overheard. I wanted to get moving because if I was going to get caught I might as well do some exploring first.

He didn't answer, which was answer enough for me.

"In that case, follow me." I said as I strode with false confidence towards the heavy medical looking double doors. I approached them from the side and when I was close enough I used the small windows—which were embedded with chicken wire to prevent a break in, or in their case, most likely an escape—as a peep hole to view the outside hallway…

…and ducked back behind the door just as quickly as two men in white coats passed right by the windows talking and gesturing at their clipboards as they went.

Fang gave me a questioning look but I just shook my head in negation and carefully peeked outside once more. White coats proceeded down the hallway at all levels of speed: casual, pressed for time, and late. Not one of them was paying any attention to another.

And the metaphorical light bulb in my head went off.

I was across the room in a flash as I ran my hands over the many lab coats the hung from the wall. I selected two that would do best to hide our shapes in hopes of not drawing any eyes to our young miens.

"Here," I tossed the bigger coat to Fang who caught it with deft precision. "Put this on. It's nearly lunchtime. I'm sure nobody will pay attention to us when their stomachs are growling. We'll slip right by." I pulled on my own coat as I spoke. It was heavier than I expected and felt awkward on my shoulders.

"Well?" I asked, spinning so Fang got a three-sixty view of me. "How do I look?"

"Ridiculous. You should never be a scientist." He said in a deadpan tone, but his eyes twinkled with suppressed humor.

"Shut up." I scowled playfully as I threw a pen I found in my pocket at him. He dodged it and the pen clattered to the floor. "After everything we've seen I wouldn't even consider it."

Unlike his interpretation of how I looked Fang could pull off the lab coat look. I'm pretty sure he could pull off most things. While I'd agree that black is definitely his color, against the white of the coat his olive toned skin looked flawless and his dark hair gave him an almost dangerous air.

Without another word we headed towards the door.

Opening that door was one of the most nerve wracking experiences of my life and it took me about two minutes to muck up the courage in the first place. Finally—after a particularly sharp elbow to the side from Fang—I pushed the door open just enough for us to slip into the throng of moving bodies.

I saw a few people carrying shopping bags and Tupperware containers down the hall to my left. _That must be where the cafeteria is, _I realized. _Which means that is public area, which means my parents won't be doing top secret experiments there_. Fang must have realized the same thing because with an unspoken agreement we headed down the hall to the right.

We weren't the only ones heading in that direction but with the majority of the people heading the other way fighting the crowd was a bit difficult. I had to fight to stay by Fangs side. The last thing we needed was to be separated in this place and the constant brush of his arm against mine was a comfort I did not want to lose. We got to the end of the hallway and had three choices, go straight towards the elevators, or go either left or right. Most people who had come in this direction veered off and headed right or left so we opted for the elevator. I doubted that there would be any special experimenting—or anything worth my parents attention—on this level.

"You know, I was expecting the labs to be underground. Stereotypical labs you know? Like all of the others we've come across so far? So it's pretty interesting to be going upstairs." I noted once we were alone in the elevator and headed upwards. With both the Institute and the School we'd had to descend a poorly lit stairwell to reach the lab. Now we were listening to elevator music.

"Well Florida is pretty much all at water level. If they dig a basement they'll really be digging a pool." Fang explained pulling on his wealth of knowledge about Florida to educate me some more.

"So," I said as I looked at the six buttons each denoting a different floor number. "Which floor do you think has the creepy lab?"

He shrugged. "Haven't we had enough of creepy?" He asked. "The better question is: where will we find your parents?"

"I personally don't think we'll find one without the other."

Fang adopted a look that said _fair enough _but didn't explicitly say it. Instead the elevator jolted to a halt and released us onto the second floor.

The second floor was of no use to us. While it screamed _scientists work here _it didn't give off the evil vibes we were explicitly looking for. Instead it contained very mundane versions of labs that looked like they could only support minor experiments, and rooms full of books and other research documents.

After twenty minutes of snooping Fang and I headed back to the elevator to search the third floor.

That floor proved to be exactly what we were looking for.

"This is creepy." I whispered as I peeked through the small box sized windows in the doors that were identical to the ones from the computer lab. Inside the room was a lab just like the ones from the School. Scientists traveled back and forth across the room retrieving and dropping off bottles, papers, beakers, and—I saw to my utmost disgust—a small figure that was maybe human at one point but could hardly be called that now. I had flashbacks to the dog creature at the School and the wall of caged experiments. Fang made a small noise of agreement. My stomach rolled and I had to force myself away from the window.

Every room thereafter was the same and with each new sight I grew more and more nauseous. It got to the point where I squeezed Fangs hand for support and refused to let go—not that he tried to make me.

At the end of the hallway was a locked pair of double doors that had no window complete with a key guard. Call it intuition, common sense, a familial link, I don't give a damn what you call it all I know is that somehow I _knew _this was where my parents would be spending most of their time.

I needed to get in there.

The closer I got the more unusual the key guard seemed until I stood right before it. That's when I realized that it wasn't just a key lock. Yes a key card had to be swiped but there was also a small glass square that was marked with finger prints.

A finger print scanner.

It was a bit overkill in my opinion.

"How do we get in?" I asked Fang, my fingers hovering uselessly over the lock.

"I don't suppose you have a makeup kit on you that we could somehow use those fingerprints to get in, like on Scooby Doo." He said.

I turned to him slowly, eyebrows raised. "_Scooby Doo?"_ I asked in disbelief, trying, and failing, to connect the images of Fang, at any age, watching a movie with a talking dog and a guy wearing an ascot.

He cocked an eyebrow, unabashed as he said, "I live with Angel and Gazzy. Remember?"

I nodded in understanding before turning back to the lock once more. Once adding a mischievous Gazzy and sweet little Angel to the picture I could definately come up with a—somewhat comical—image of him watching Scooby Doo. "That you'd even _suggest _I have makeup is pretty ridiculous."

"Well, what other option do we have?"

"Well we—"

A voice cut me off and froze me down to my core.

"Anne?"

* * *

><p><strong>Dun Dun DUN! Who do you think will be there when Max turns around? If I don't update again this week I'm sorry but my life is hectic. I just got a job and I am scheduled to work EVERY DAY this week, including prom :( and I have AP tests, prom itself, and end of the year stuff so just know that I'm <em>not <em>neglecting you guys! Please read and review!**

**Peace!**


	30. Chapter 30

**Disclaimer: James Patterson owns Maximum Ride. No copyright infringement intended.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 30<strong>

"Anne?"

Wide eyed and jaw clenched I turned slowly to look at the hallway behind me.

An elderly man in a white lab coat was staring at Fang and I. Well, me in particular. He was shorter than me and pleasantly plump. His hair was white and his square glasses were slipping from his long nose as he struggled to keep a hold of the files in his arms.

He was silent, waiting for a reply. _Anne, _I realized with a start, _is my mother's name. He thinks I'm my mom._

I nodded silently.

"Good lord woman I'm gone for a month for hip surgery, _a month, _and you look better than ever. What's the secret to your young look because god knows I could use it."

He also—apparently—couldn't see clearly through his glasses, otherwise he'd have realized from the get go that I was a teenager.

I was at a loss for words. What should I do? If I said something wrong he'd realize I wasn't my mother and sound an alarm. Fang elbowed me and gave me a look that said: _well do something._

I took a deep breath. "A healthy diet and less time bending over a desk," I said in a dry voice. It was how I'd imagined my mom would sound like.

Apparently I wasn't far off.

"Same old Anne," he chuckled. "But what are you doing down on three?" He asked. "I thought you and Jeb were up on five for the rest of the month. Working on the audit and such."

_You and Jeb. _As in my parents. _On five. _As in fifth floor.

_Thank you random old man!_ I thought animatedly.

Fang shifted next to me, processing the same information.

"And who is this new man?" The old guy asked, his attention drawn to Fang by his shifting. He squinted as he slowly examined Fang. I was afraid that if he looked any harder he might realize that our lab coats didn't fit quite right and our faces were unlined with youth.

"New recruit." I said quickly. "Very promising."

The man nodded. "You always pick the best so I have no doubt."

"Well, we must be going." I said, and started heading towards the elevators, Fang in tow.

"But—but Anne weren't you heading into the lab?" He asked.

"Oh, oh yes we were but I seem to have forgotten my card so I'll just go get it and—"

"Nonsense!" He crowed, bustling towards the door. "I'm heading in there anyway. I'll just let you in."

"Oh, that's not necessary—"

"I insist."

I looked helplessly at Fang who had been silent thus far. He gave me a shrug and a look that said _just go with it. _

"Well then, thank you." I said in capitulation.

Fang and I took the files from the man as he pulled a key card from a retractable lanyard holder on his breast pocket and swiped it through the key guard. The light turned green and the glass square started to glow a faint greenish color as well. He placed his index finger on the scanner and two seconds late there was a clicking sound and the sound of locks retracting before the double doors swung open.

"Oh dear god," I breathed as I took in the sight before me.

Rows upon rows of cages, all filled with experiments—some with their distorted faces pressed up against the bars, some doing their best to disappear in the depths of their refuge—lined the walls of the room. Everywhere I looked scientists were pulling the experiments from cages, sticking them with needles, attaching monitors to them, or forcing medicine down their throats while broken test tubes, empty syringes, and what looked like blood, were left carelessly un-cleaned around the room as they attempted to control the experiments. I felt bile rise within my own throat and had to force myself to keep it down.

"What did you say, Anne?" The old man asked as he turned around.

"Nothing," I said quickly, dumping the files back in his arms in an attempt to distract him.

"But I thought I heard you say—"

"I was merely expressing my disgust." I said coldly in an attempt to intimidate him into submission. "This place is a mess. Scientists work here, not pigs."

He blushed. "Yes well some of the experiments are not cooperating today and—"

"I don't care if _they _are cooperating. They don't know any better. My scientists do and as of right now I am not happy with their work. My husband and I provide them with a work place and this is how they treat it? Might I assume that it is a sign of how much they respect me?"

Fang was giving me a look that said _don't push it. _But I figured that the more flustered I made this man the sooner he'd leave me alone.

And I needed him to leave me alone so we could get the hell out of this room. I felt as if the walls were moving in on me in an attempt to crush me. Or maybe it was the weight of all of our discoveries over the past few days that were weighing down on me. Either way I felt that if I stayed here for another moment I might combust. Besides, the old man had said that my parents would be on the fifth floor. That was yet more incentive to get out of here.

"Well w-we, that is I-I'll have them—"

"Clean it up?" I asked. "Yes you will. And I want it done immediately." I had no clue how far my parents power extended in this place but it was definitely strong enough to scare this old man. "I am appalled that I had to show our new recruit the lab when it was in this condition. I'm going to take him upstairs for a bit and when we return I expect this place to shine."

"Y-y-yes ma'am." He stuttered.

I spun on my heels without another word and stormed out of the room, Fang in tow.

…

"That…was…impressive." Fang admitted once we were in the elevator. I collapsed against the wall and used it to support myself, my shaking legs not doing that job well enough.

"Thanks," I said, my voice shaky. "I'm never doing that again."

"We're just lucky that the man was practically blind." Fang continued. "If he hadn't thought you were your mom—"

"Yeah, I know, we'd be in deep shit right now." I cut him off with a wave of my hand.

"We still are. We're still inside this place and any one of these people could turn us in. We need to be careful."

"Yeah," I agreed, still trying to lower my heart rate.

"Then if you agree to that you'll surely agree to the fact that walking right in to the lion's den is not a smart move either."

I raised an eyebrow at him. I didn't like metaphors. I liked straight out facts, which I could usually count on him to give me. I wasn't sure why he wasn't doing that now.

He pointed to the button panel on the side of the elevator. The 5 was still lit up in the yellow-orange color it had turned when I'd pressed it a few seconds ago.

"He said your parents were on the fifth floor."

"So?" That was the whole point of pressing the big 5.

"So, even if all of the employees here are half blind like that guy was don't you think they'd find it strange that there are two Anne Batchelder's on the fifth floor, at the same time?"

I reached out and punched the power shut off button on the button panel just as the elevator arrived at the fifth floor. The elevator jolted to a stop and the fluorescent lights blinked out. A flashing red emergency light replaced it.

"I get your point." I admitted. "But what do you suggest? The entire point of coming here was to talk to them."

"No," he argued. "The whole point of coming here was to _find _them. To find proof. We've found both. So why don't we just leave and call the police? They'll have all they need and you can talk to your parents when they're safely behind bars and there's no risk of them calling the flea bags to come grab us."

He made a point. But my blood was still hot in my veins after seeing the lab and I wanted nothing more than to barge in on my so called parents and demand that they explain themselves.

I told him just as much.

"I understand," Fang said, drawing closer to me. "Believe me when I say I'd like to wring a few necks too but that's not something we can afford to do right now."

"I just," I gave a broken laugh. "After all this time looking I just want something to go the way I want it to." I admitted. "I want to talk to them and I want to do it without the police breathing down our necks, recording every word. What I have to say to them….I don't want anyone else hearing it." To my horror I felt tears welling in my eyes, overflowing before I had a chance to fight them.

And Fang was there, wiping the tears away with the calloused pads of his thumbs. The gesture was so singularly uncharacteristic of him that I froze. I was surprised by the gentleness of the touch.

"I know," he whispered. "Believe me, I know what it's like to want to talk to them. But more often than not we have to change our plans in life."

He didn't say 'I'm sorry' and I was so glad for that. Saying sorry when you can't completely empathize with someone doesn't help anything. Telling me the truth does.

"I guess you've had a lot of time to think about what you'd say to your parents." I whispered in return. He was so close that talking at a normal volume would have shattered the moment between us, and I didn't want him to back away. If anything I wanted him closer.

He nodded.

"What would you say to them?" I asked. I realized that, no matter how bad my parents were turning out to be I at least knew something about them. Fang knew nothing.

He paused for a moment before answering me. The look in his eyes—one of complete vulnerability and honesty—was unlike any other expression I'd ever seen. "Thank you."

"What?"

"I'd tell them 'thank you'."

"Why?" I questioned, never taking my eyes from his.

"Because…" he hesitated, "if they hadn't given me up then there are a lot of things in life I never would have had the chance to do. Including run myself ragged as I chased you cross-country." A slight smirk pulled at the corners of his lips.

"Chasing implies that I leave without you," I pointed out, my breath coming fast. "As it so happens, I've been providing transportation."

He raised an eyebrow in reply.

"Fine, fine." I relented. "If I ever meet them remind me to thank them, too." I couldn't keep my eyes from flickering back to his smirking lips. I'd never been this close to any other guy before. Well, I'd been this close to them before, but I'd never felt like I did now while I was near them. In the few instances that Fang and I had been this close…well I'd never felt this way before so couldn't pinpoint what it was that I was feeling. But as he bent his head towards me and his lips drew nearer my own I couldn't help but feel excitement rising within me.

His lips were a scant inch from my own when the elevator jolted. Bright lights replaced the red strobe of the emergency light and the doors rolled open.

"I'd heard I was running around downstairs with a new recruit but I didn't know that I was elsewise involved with him. I suppose that that particular rumor has yet to reach my ears." A voice drawled from just outside the elevator. Fang jerked away quickly, exposing the speaker to me.

My stomach dropped somewhere down near the basement as I took in the sight before me.

"Anne," I whispered.

* * *

><p><strong>I'm sorry for the late update but I've been running nonstop for the past several days with no time to sit let alone type. Let me know what you all thought of the chapter please! Read and review!<strong>

**Peace! **


	31. Chapter 31

**Disclaimer: James Patterson owns Maximum Ride. No copyright infringement intended. **

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 31<strong>

"Anne," I whispered.

Anne Batchelder stood just outside of the elevator flanked by a dozen human-lupin mutants. As Fang and I stood frozen the mutants surged forward, capturing our arms in steel grips. The miniscule possibility of escaping via elevator disappeared as I was manhandled by a mutant with fleas.

I couldn't even bring myself to glare at the woman, I was too busy gaping at her. Here was the source of my madness, the reason behind my searching. She was seemingly ordinary, average height and looks, yet she held a very imposing demeanor. Fear trickled down my spine as I looked into her icy gaze.

"Bring them," Anne said in a cold voice, breaking eye contact with me to turn military style and stalk down the hall, the epitome of a person who expects to be obeyed.

The mutants certainly wasted no time in following her orders.

Fang and I were pushed, poked, and prodded until we'd made our way down a sterile yet insignificant looking hallway and to the door at the end of it.

I caught a quick glimpse of the word 'Batchelder' inscribed on a brass plaque by the door before I was thrust through it and dumped unceremoniously into a chair before an imposing desk. I was grateful for it to be honest, my knees seemed like they were about to give out on me at any moment and taking a nose dive in front my mother wouldn't exactly help my 'tough girl' status.

Fang was deposited in a chair at my side.

Before this moment I had felt nothing but shock at the situation. I shouldn't have. I was searching for my parents, I knew that they were on this floor of the building, and yet seeing my mother had seemed to shut down all thoughts in my mind. However, seeing Fang pushed around because of something I had made him do, brought realization of how dangerous the situation was into my mind.

Heart thrumming madly, I cast my eyes around the room, taking in every detail as I thought furiously about how Fang and I could make our escape.

The room had one large window, one of the few I'd noted from the outside, that overlooked an expanse of green. Water cut a small, snaking path through the tall grass stretching for miles into the distance. Any other day and the environmentally obsessed side of me would have spent hours observing the ecosystem out of curiosity and awe of its natural beauty. Now all I processed was that there was nobody to see me if I tried to signal for help.

Anne had completely isolated Fang and I. Nobody in the building would dare disobey her and nobody outside would know that anything was wrong.

We were screwed.

The rest of the room was standard of an office, I suppose. Bookshelves lined the wall behind the large oak desk and dry erase boards loaded with chemical equations sat against the opposite wall.

The room was a decent size but when it was filled with a dozen mutant dogs it tended to be a bit claustrophobic.

_Here goes nothing,_ I thought. _It's time for her to catch up on seventeen years of attitude. _Any thoughts of simply trying to get explanations out of her had gone out the window when the old man had identified her as the boss of the experimentations.

"Do you mind if we crack a window?" I asked, attempting to look at ease in my captors grip. "It smells a bit…gamey…in here. A bit like wet dog, if you know what I mean." I scrunched up my nose for effect.

Growls ripped through the otherwise silent air and the grip on my arms intensified. I winced as my arm went numb.

"Be quiet." Anne snapped, her eyes glinting. Even in my state of shock I couldn't help but notice certain similarities between us. Her glare, the shape of her face, the set of her jaw, her frame, even her hair echoed my own. I saw Fangs eyes flickering between the two of us and I knew that he, too, saw the similarities between mother and daughter. "You," she pointed to the mutts holding me and Fang down. "Let them go. I'm sure they won't go anywhere. Especially when they know you will all be waiting in the hallway."

My captors hesitated only a moment before obeying. They filed out of the room like dejected children.

Silence ensued as my birth mother stared at us from behind the desk, her expression as unreadable as Fangs.

"So," I said with fake confidence. "Anne, it's nice to finally meet you?" I meant it to be a statement but it came out as more of a question.

"Maximum," she nodded to me. "Or is it something else? I don't suppose your kidnappers did me one justice by keeping the name I gave you."

"Kidnappers? I—no! _You _abandoned _me!_ My parents are not kidnappers, they—"

"Max," Fang warned me sharply, reaching over to place a hand over my own which—I hadn't realized—gripped the edge of my chair in a vice grip. "Don't."

"I suggest you listen to this young man." Anne said, leaning forward and resting her palms flat against the desk. "Do not argue with me."

"I'll argue if I damn well please." I insisted, yanking my hand away from Fangs. "You have your little manufactured hench men grab us and force us in here and you expect me to _behave_?"

"Manufactured hench men?" She asked lightly, her eyebrows furrowing. "They are called Erasers. And you've done your research. But then again I expected nothing less of you. You've come a long way since you broke into the lab in California."

"Of course they came tattling to you." I rolled my eyes. "Did they mention the part where they tried to kill us?"

"They did, and I've since had them dealt with. If they had known that you were my daughter I assure you that they would never have gone to such extreme measures."

"Oh so they treat everyone with that royal treatment?" I demanded emphatically. "Well color me impressed! You guys sure do make a lasting impression."

"You have your fathers' humor," she said with dry amusement.

"And where is good ol' dad?" I demanded. "Does he know you're keeping your long lost daughter hostage?"

"I do," interrupted a deeper voice from behind me. I spun around to stare at the tall man leaning against the doorjamb. Jeb. His glasses were slightly askew, his blond hair rumpled. He certainly wasn't the put together image that his wife was. She looked like the corporate side of their duo while he looked like the worker, which, if my pilfered files were up to date, was a pretty accurate assumption. "I also know that you've been causing trouble for me and my company for the past few days."

"Yeah well you guys have sort of up-ended my life as well." I admitted bitterly. This time I allowed Fang to cover my hand with his as he squeezed reassuringly. He hadn't really spoken so far, partly because I'd hardly left him an opening, but mostly because he knew this was my battle to fight. "Every girl loves to learn that they're adopted. That her parents couldn't be bothered with her so they left her on a random stranger's doorstep. Yeah, that was a great graduation present."

"We didn't abandon you, Maximum." Anne sighed and dropped into the chair behind the desk. Jeb left his position at the door to take one up at his wife's side. "The day you were born an intern at the lab took you. She didn't agree with what we were doing. Though she never said it outright we could tell; she thought we'd experiment on you. Our own daughter. My first regret is that I didn't take care of her when I could.

"My second regret is letting my guard down. I was exhausted, you'd kept me in labor for thirty four hours, and I was asleep. She came in and stole you right out from under my nose. We had her followed. The Erasers tracked her to Montana, but she was hit by a car before they could get her. You weren't with her. We never found you."

_You must not have looked too hard_, I realized. If they'd tracked me to Montana why couldn't they have just gone door to door asking if anyone had seen an out of place infant child around? _Whoever you are,_ I thought to the unnamed intern who'd stolen me, _thank you._

"So you covered it up. You told the press that I was stillborn and went on with your business. Couldn't risk someone investigating my disappearance stumbling upon your corrupt line of work, now could you?"

"Our work is not corrupt." Jeb interrupted, fire in his voice. "It is _great_. Unraveling secrets hidden within DNA, human and nonhuman, finding ways they can be pieced together, ways that had never been fathomed before us. That is _great. _It will lead to _great _things. It already has."

"You have a crooked definition of the word great."

"You hardly understand." He fumed. "Come, I'll show you."

…..

In the end Jeb, with an escort of four Erasers, led me back down to the third floor while my dear old mother kept Fang company. I found that, after searching for him for the past week or so under the pretense of _talking _to him, I couldn't bring myself to even say a word. I watched as he interacted with the Erasers, treating them as if they were a dumb animal instead of an experiment of his own creation. They'd been plainly human at one point. Yes they'd let themselves be tested on (or so I assumed slash hoped) but that didn't make them any less smart; it just meant that they'd made a bad choice. As far as I knew, even in their new genetically modified bodies they still held their original intelligence, which meant that they should most definitely _not _be treated like a dumb animal. Not that I thought animals were dumb either. I'd once commented to my mom that I thought certain animals were smart to eat their babies before they caused any real trouble. Mom had given me a strange look, one that said she was forfeiting to my Max logic, and ruffled my hair affectionately.

This line of thought prompted a wave of homesickness to wash over me as I remembered mom once telling me that I was born to "Stand up for the little people". I was never someone to sit by and watch anyone—younger _or _older than me—get bullied. I'd gotten into a fair few fights in elementary school because of that instinct. I knew for certain that I didn't get that instinct from my biological parents. More like I'd learned it as I watched the way my dad treated his employees fairly or the way my mom would stop what she was doing to help an old woman with her groceries, or the little kid find his mom that he'd lost track of at the store.

_I guess, _I thought tiredly, _that it doesn't matter that I'm made up of bad people because I was raised by the best of people. And that's what matters. _

And I'd been nothing but awful to them since the whole situation arose. I mean, yeah, it would have been nice if they'd told me about the adoption but I shouldn't have reacted the way I had because none of it mattered, at the end of the day they were still my parents and they still loved me like their own daughter. And I loved _because _they're my real parents.

I remembered the look in mom's eyes as I'd snapped at her in the police station and at home, I could imagine her eyes every day since I'd disappeared. It settled on me like an anvil on my shoulders. I'd spend the rest of my life trying to make up for hurting her.

The soft ding of the elevator brought me out of my reprieve. I looked up at the doors and saw Jeb staring at my reflection in the warped metal. His eyes were critical as he'd studied my face.

"What are you staring at, old man?" I demanded, hands on my hips as the Erasers coaxed me out of the elevator with shoves to my lower back. Jeb followed, not saying a word about my captors brutality.

"You look like your mother." He said as we made our way towards the dreaded double doors at the end of the hallway.

"Yeah," I agreed loftily. "Everyone always says I have my mother's eyes. It must run in the family because my sister has the same color eyes. Then again, chocolate colored eyes are common in Hispanic families."

He glared at me from behind his wire rimmed glasses, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. "I meant your biological mother." He ground out.

"That thing upstairs is not my mother. She's an egg donor and an incubator, nothing more. Just like you were just a sperm donor. My real parents would never drag me around their work place with an armed guard." I glared at the Erasers who did, indeed, carry guns.

I never saw it coming. One minute I'm glaring at Erasers, the next minute I'm on the floor, heat rising in my stinging cheek.

"And my real dad," I glared up at him, "would never lay a hand on me."

"Get up." Was all he said. I was tempted to just stay on the ground, another act of rebellion but Jeb made a small gesture and suddenly two Erasers gripped my upper arms and hauled me to my feet.

They didn't let go.

I was positive that I'd have bruises in the shape of their fingers later.

Jeb swiftly let us in to the lab, letting the door slam shut behind us.

We walked in on an intensive cleaning operation. All experiments were locked in their cages watching the spectacle like Jeb and I were as every scientist in the room either mopped up spills, threw away broken glass, or tidied their work stations.

At the head of it was the old man from earlier.

He saw our party and, with a yelp, hurried over to us.

"Jeb good to see you!" He exclaimed before turning to me. "Per your request I've had the entire lab cleaned. You were right, it was unacceptable and I've made it clear that it isn't to happen again. I wasn't expecting you two back so soon, however. I was hoping we'd have the place more presentable upon your return."

I couldn't help the smirk that stretched over my face as the man addressed me as my 'mother'. Jeb had a perplexed look on his face but it quickly turned to fury as he exclaimed "You idiot! This is not Anne! Get your eyesight fixed and realize that she is a teenager! One who duped you into showing her _everything I pay you to hide._ Insolent man!" Jeb raised his hand—no doubt to knock this man to the ground has he had done me—before I slipped out of my captors now slack grips and knocked his hand down, deflecting the blow.

"Don't hit him!" I reprimanded him. "He's just had hip surgery! If you knock him down that will just cause the poor man more problems." I glanced at the old man. He was still cowering, waiting for the blow that would knock him to the ground and leave him in immeasurable pain. "Besides, it's not his fault. You did just tell me I look like my mom." I spoke my piece into a silent room. Every man, woman, and experiment could hear as I chewed their boss out. Not only that, but I'd happily told them that his own daughter was the one doing it.

Jeb glared at me, chest heaving. I actually started to wonder if I got my death glare from him and not Anne.

I glared back at him, daring him to try and hit the man again. I could easily scare all of his scientists by telling them that the FBI was on its way. Jeb would lose the fight certainly, as his employees stampeded to escape. However, I'd lose him and Anne in the process. As far as I knew—from their lack of mentioning it—they didn't know about the raid on the Institute yet. I wasn't going to be the one break the news to him. If everything went according to plan the FBI should be on its way right now. By the end of the day Jeb and Anne Batchelder would be behind bars.

If I didn't give them a warning in advance. So I kept my mouth shut and glared at my 'father'.

Jeb caved first.

"Back to work!" He snapped. "The room is clean enough now do what I _pay you to do." _The entire room jumped at his exclamation, hastening to do as he bid. Experiments, who'd be watching in just as much fascination as the workers, were pulled from their cages and brought to the labs. My stomach twisted at the thought of the procedures they were about to undergo.

Jeb grabbed my arm and forced me over to the wall of experiments.

"See these," he demanded. "These experiments are living proof of the fact that I've gone where nobody else has dared to tread. These experiments are the key to a better future. An advanced race of people immune to diseases that have crippled the population in the past."

"Yeah but will be susceptible to fleas." I muttered as I adverted my eyes from the childlike forms and picked on something much easier for me to cope with. Erasers.

Jeb hit me again.

I took it without a word as he turned me back to the wall and continued. "Cancers eradicated, plague ineffective, the common cold void! What more could be asked for? The population will thrive and Anne and I will be at the head of the movement. As our daughter, you should be too."

I looked into the cages and saw what he called the future. A girl with feathers for hair and talons for fingers, gripping the bars of her cage as she stared at me with wide, hollow eyes. A boy with crab claws that pinched at the bars in an attempt to escape. A child, its sex unidentifiable, curled up in its cage, unable to move because their genetic combinations were revolting against each other. Another experiment that didn't look like it was breathing at all. A child staring at me with unblinking eyes, its face covered in scales. _This isn't the future,_ I thought. _This is a horror story. _

When I spoke my voice was made of steel. Everyone stopped to listen as my voice rose to fill the room. "You say you're creating greatness here, but the only thing you're creating is misery and pain. Look at them! Do they look happy? Do they look _great_?"

Jeb had no answer.

"You know," I continued. "They tried to tell me you were bad…that you did these…outrageous things. And I didn't believe them. I didn't want to. I didn't want to be related to someone like that. To have a piece of them in me. But now I realize that it's not who's a piece of you, its who's given their all to you. And that's the Martinez's. And what's more? I realize that they were wrong…you're not bad…you're so much worse." My labored breathing could be heard across the room. I fought tears. I wanted nothing more than for my mom to hold me and tell me that everything would be alright. "Take me wherever the hell you plan on taking me. Just get me the hell out of here."

…..

"You said that?" Fang asked quietly as he scooted closer to me. After Jeb had taken me out of the lab he'd deposited me in a—surprise, surprise—white sterile lab room with two operation-like tables. I'd found Fang there, ignoring the tables in favor of a corner of the room. I'd gone to join him without looking back at my entourage.

After the door had been securely shut I'd demanded to know what had happened once I'd left him.

"Not much," he'd said. "She tried to ask me a bunch of questions but she learned pretty quickly that I don't like to talk much."

I'd smirked at that. "I don't know, you've started to open up to me some."

He'd rolled his eyes at that. "Because you've left me no choice. Besides, you're hard _not _to talk to." I'd tried my best not to let the happiness that his words invoked show on my face.

"What sort of questions did she ask?" I wondered aloud.

"The usual. Who am I? What business do I have with her daughter? How did I end up being dragged along on your journey? How much do we really know about Itex?" He rattled the list of carefully. I couldn't help but realize that there was one question mixed in there that I wouldn't mind having answered. What business _did _he have with me? I'd used a spiel to pull on heart strings when I'd originally recruited him to come with me but I doubted that was what really convinced him. _Is there anything between us?_ I'd asked myself. In the elevator, on the bus, hell way back when in the cave there was even a moment between us. We'd always had something different between us, something more than just an awkward friendship.

I didn't ask him. Instead I applauded him for keeping his mouth shut and told him my story.

"Yeah," I said now. "I really told him that. It felt great to say it too."

We sat in a comfortable silence—well as comfortable as it could get considering the circumstances—for a few minutes.

"Do you think they're watching us right now?" He asked suddenly.

"Probably." I'd noticed a blinking red light in the opposite corner a few minutes ago. My bet would be that it was a video camera and they were watching us right now. There were probably microphones everywhere too.

"Oh, in that case," he leaned forward, his lips coming to rest a scant inch from my ear. "How long do you think we have to wait before Nudge pulls through on her end of the bargain?" I shivered as his warm breath washed over my skin. He gently pushed my hair back as a man would do to the woman he loved. I guess that's what he was aiming for. If they thought we were trading comforting, loving words they wouldn't suspect we were really conversing about the FBI's TOA.

I did my part by closing my eyes and turning my head slightly so I could whisper in reply. "A few hours at most." I guessed. "Nudge should have told them about twelve hours ago. They should be here by now. They're probably just settling the warrant situation."

He tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "Let's hope. Because I have no idea how we're getting out of here."

* * *

><p><strong>Well? My official last day of high school was yesterday so I spent today finishing up this extra-long chapter for you guys! Things are wrapping up! Tell me what you thought! Read and Review!<strong>

**Peace!**


	32. Chapter 32

**Disclaimer: James Patterson owns Maximum Ride. No copyright infringement intended.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 32<strong>

Three hours later Fang and I were none the closer to escaping. We'd gone over every inch of the windowless room and the only break in the white sterility was a metal vent built into the ceiling a good ten feet off the ground.

We'd even attempted to ram the lab tables into the door in an attempt to break it down—not that we knew what we'd do if it actually worked. Sadly the door was as solid after an hour of pounding as it was when we'd begun.

Fang and I were once again leaning against the wall, but this time our chests were heaving from the effort we'd expended.

"We need…a new…plan." I panted after a while of simply sitting in silence, our shoulders touching. "It seems as if…there was a setback in our…rescue." I added in a whisper. I had expected our rescue to come surging in hours ago. Maybe I hadn't given Nudge and Iggy enough time to gather reinforcements.

"Then what do you suggest? We go climbing through the vents?" Fangs lips barley moved as he whispered his snappy retort. The remark was made out of agitation and held no real note of sincerity, yet I felt my eyes widen slightly as the quite obvious realization hit.

I pushed away from the wall in one instant and was straddling his lap in the next.

Fangs eyes widened but I ignored his surprise and whispered excitedly. "That's exactly what we do! I mean, think about it, we've got plenty of experience with it by now."

"What about the camera?" He demanded, glancing pointedly at the red blinking light while shifting his hands, which had been resting in his lap a moment ago, undecidedly between my legs and his sides. After a moment he settled for his sides and I rolled my eyes.

"Look directly under it." I replied.

He did. Below the camera rested one of the tables we'd left there after trying to break the door down. It was made of stainless steel and seemed to gleam like a beacon of hope in our otherwise dismal situation despite the dings it had incurred during our previous escape efforts.

"So?" He asked, clearly not comprehending my idea.

"So," I said with exaggerated patients. "We'll come up under the camera and cover it somehow. Then we'll take the table and use it to access the vent while we use the other table to block the door. Who says we have to let them in if they won't let us out?" I could only imagine how much that would anger them and I gained a sense of satisfaction knowing that, even in a situation like this, I could piss a few people off.

His eyes glinted and, almost without his consent or knowledge, his hands moved to my legs, gripping them tightly in his renewed excitement. "We'll have about a five second window from the time we cover the camera to the time they try to get in. We'll have to move fast to just block the door, let alone get out of here."

I shrugged, trying not to blush at my sudden conciseness of our proximity. "It's worth a shot. What other option do we have? Wait for the FBI and then play the roles of 'hostage'? I don't think so."

"But how are we going to cover the camera?"

I smirked as I remembered the gum I'd bought at the bus station what felt like years ago.

"I have an idea."

….

"Ready?" Fang whispered as he and I moved underneath the camera, out of its view.

I nodded and climbed onto the table. I spit out the gum I'd been chewing for the past few minutes and stuck the wrapper to one end and the other end to the small lens of the camera.

I jumped off of the table and Fang and I quickly and quietly moved it in front of the door. We'd agreed that we wouldn't make a lot of noise under the slight chance that nobody was paying attention to the cameras for a few minutes.

Once the table was settled we moved on to the other one, positioning it directly under the vent.

Fang went first. It made sense that he'd go first because he was stronger and taller than me and it would be easier for him to pull himself into the vent and then help me up.

I stood tensely as he pulled the vent cover out of the ceiling and started to hoist himself in.

He was just pulling his legs through when the shouting reached our ears. Then there was a bang on the door followed by curses and shouts of "They've barricaded the door." The banging came again, the door and table shuttering more and more with each blow.

My heart hammered in my chest as I scrambled onto the table and reached up to Fang. They banged again and I heard the sound of wood splintering. If the door didn't give out the frame would. He grabbed my arms and yanked me upwards just as the door crashed inwards and a dozen Erasers flooded the room. The rational part of my mind told me not to worry about them fitting into the vent. They wouldn't be able to squeeze their bulky shoulders though the small opening. However, my fight or flight instinct was definitely commanding me to run rather than stick around and find out whether my rational sense was correct.

Fang started crawling and I eagerly followed him.

This section of the vents was smaller than those we'd entered the building through and Fang and I found it easier to army crawl then risk banging our heads and making noise. It was more strenuous though and we'd only gone about forty feet—only enough to ensure we were not above our prison anymore—before I called for a break.

"Great, we got out of there. _Now what?_" I hissed, my voice carrying more than I liked in the vents. Hopefully there weren't any vent accesses in the nearby rooms that would allow people to hear us.

Not that it mattered much. I could hear the shouts and alarms from where we rested. There was no way we'd get out of the vents, down four flights of stairs (our prison had been located on the fourth floor, a floor allocated for storage from what I'd seen of it), out any door (we couldn't go back through the HVAC output without being chopped up by the fan), and past the guards without getting caught. Our best option would be to find a place to lie low until the FBI finally decided to show up.

"We appreciate the fact that we aren't being guarded by those Erasers like a bone by a dog?" Fang offered up. He had flipped so he was resting on his back instead of his stomach like I'd done. He propped himself up on his elbows now and looked at me. I'm certain I looked worse for wear. We'd ditched our pilfered lab coats back in our prison so now my travel weary clothes spoke legions of our long trip. My cheek was bruised from where Jeb had hit me, my arms were bruised from being manhandled, and I'd picked up a bunch of random cuts and bruises along the way.

Fang, too, showed signs of our rough ordeal. His hair—which usually looked slightly messy in a sexy sort of way—was just plain messy, he had a bruise on his jaw, and a similar collection of cuts and bruises as my own.

"You know, when they created those Erasers they really did set themselves up for endless dog jokes." I rested my forehead on my arms.

"Yeah well, that's a good thing because, in situations where they're involved, you either laugh or cry. I'm more inclined to laugh." He said. "What we need is a phone and I think I might know how to get one. Here's what we're going to do…"

…..

"They're not in here, move along." The rough voice of the Eraser commanded from below. I watched through the vent cover as the three Erasers that had been combing the storage room trooped out of the room, the heavy door slamming behind them with a loud bang.

The lights went off.

I waited a minute, listening. When I heard nothing but silence I gently eased the vent cover off of the opening and dropping to the ground. I moved out from under the vent and called to Fang. He dropped down beside me.

We quickly headed to the door. Fang stuck his head into the hallway and, after a few apprehensive moments, called that it was clear.

All we needed to do was find a lone scientist. The place was crawling with them. Was coming across one of them too much to ask?

No doubt there were cameras in the hallway and we knew our window of opportunity was quickly closing. Every time we heard voices or footsteps we'd duck into the closest storage room. After repeating the process three times we finally got lucky.

A lone scientist ventured around the corner and passed in front of the door Fang and I had been hiding behind. Faster than I could have reacted Fang flung the heavy door out, hitting the unaware man. He went down and Fang knocked him on the head for good measure. I searched his pockets and mercifully came up with an old, out of date, silver flip phone.

Fang and I retreated to the empty store room dragging the unconscious man with us.

As soon as the door was shut I flipped the phone open. The blue screen came to life and I nearly wept in relief.

I dialed the number of the person I knew could always help me. It rang three times before she picked up.

"Mom?"

* * *

><p><strong>I'm sorry for the late update guys! Things have been hectic and I lost track of time. Thank you guys for all of your reviews last chapter. They definitely made me smile! Also, someone asked this and I thought I'd already covered it, but I'll say it again: there are no wings in this story. Sorry to disappoint. Anyway, even though this is a shorter chapter I'd definitely love some reviews!<strong>

**Peace!**


	33. Chapter 33

**Disclaimer: James Patterson owns Maximum Ride, no copyright infringement intended.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 33<strong>

"Mom?"

"Max?" My mom's frantic voice sent a knife right through my heart. I'd missed her voice so much these past few days. "Oh my god honey, are you alright? Where are you?"

"I'm fine, mom. Fang and I are in Itex. Where are you guys?" I asked, I felt the tears trekking down my face. Fang gently wiped them away while I gave him a watery smile.

"You're _wh__at?_" She shrieked. "Yo-you're inside? You need to get out of there right now! We're on our way, honey, we had a hell of a time locating the place. You need to get out of there right now or—"

"That's the thing mom, we can't." I winced at the admission. "We're sort of trapped."

Silence.

"What do you mean, trapped?" She asked quietly, a moment later.

"Well, they had us locked in a room but we got out through the vent. Now we're stuck on the fourth floor and they're _everywhere._ We can't get out." Frustration laced my voice.

"There's no way for you to get to the staircase?" She asked, voice tense.

"Honestly, I'm impressed they haven't found us yet. I'm sure there are cameras all over the hallway. I guess someone's not paying attention to the live feeds. They probably think we're still in the vents."

"And where are you?" She asked.

"Hiding in a storage room talking to you."

"And Fangs alright?"

"Yeah, he's right here."

"Tell him Marcy says she's worried about him and she loves him." I nodded and turned to relay the message to Fang but he nodded and waved me off. He'd heard her.

"How are you even talking to us right now? How did you get a phone?" She asked suddenly.

"Um…uh funny story. I'll tell it to you if you can promise we won't be arrested for assault and battery." My attempt at humor fell upon deaf ears.

"Then I won't ask." She replied humorously. I heard someone talking in the background.

"Agent Tulsin wants to talk to you." She informed me. "Just…be safe alright? We'll see you soon. I love you."

"I love you too," I assured her before the phone was passed over to the Suit.

"Max?" Agent Tulsin asked.

"Present and accounted for." I replied.

"We can see Itex now." He told me. "We pulled off of the road before the guard station so they don't know we're here yet. From what I see of the place there are very few windows, do you happen to be near one?"

"No," I said. "I haven't even seen any on this floor, have you?" I asked turning to Fang. He shook his head and gestured towards the wall behind us. "Fang hasn't either. We're sort of in the center of the building though."

"What can you tell us about the building?"

"It's vents are great for crawling through." Fang smirked beside me. "That's how we got in. Through the HVAC output."

"Smart." He admitted. "What else? What happens on each floor? Tell me everything you know."

I filled him in on everything from the direction of the lunch room to which side of the building my parents office was located on. I told him every detail I remembered from the lab, and everything I'd noted on my trip there and back with Jeb.

When I'd finished he was silent for a few seconds before saying "That helps a lot, thank you. Now, we're going to head to the gate and serve a warrant. The warrant is not only for the search and seizure of the building and any evidence we find within it but also for the arrests of Jeb and Anne Batchelder. Odds are that once we serve the warrant they'll lock the place down. They'll try to resist us for as long as we can. While they're preoccupied with that I want you and Fang to do your best to get out."

"But they'll be guarding the stairs!" I objected.

"We have no other choice. It's either you make a break for it, or they find you and we have a hostage situation. You need to at least attempt to get out first."

He was right; I'd said something similar to that not long ago.

I released a long sigh before nodding, forgetting that he couldn't see my consent.

"Is that sigh a form of agreement?" He asked.

"That sigh was a 'we'll do our best.'"

"Alright. Wait for us to serve the warrant before you go anywhere." He said. "On the off chance that they surrender."

"And when they don't?" I asked.

"You'll use the cover of confusion to make a run for it. And _don't hang up the phone._" He stressed. "We'll need to know where you are at all times."

"Got it. Now stop making us do all the work and go serve a warrant." I snarked.

He chuckled and passed the phone back to my mom.

Fang leaned closer and I held the phone so we could both hear. Mom made no attempt to talk as we all listened for Agent Tulsin.

I didn't hear his all of his conversation but I did catch words like "serving a warrant", "arrest" and "Batchelder". As anyone could assume, it went over like a ton of bricks. Almost immediately after he'd finished talking an alarm started blaring within the building. "Lockdown, lockdown," kept being repeated over the intercom system.

"Well, that's our signal," Fang commented as he stood up and then offered me a hand. I took it gratefully as my legs protested my standing on sleeping muscles.

"What do we do about him?" I asked, pointing to the passed out figure in the corner. As we looked at him the man began to stir.

"Leave him." Fang said. "He'll wake up soon enough."

"Alright then," I sighed. "You first."

….

"Quiet!" Fang hissed as we crept down the hall.

"Not like it matters!" I snapped back. "Nobody can hear us over this god awful racket. What we need to worry about are the damn cameras!"

_Will anyone even be monitoring them?_ I wondered. _They'll be a bit preoccupied with keeping the FBI out._

Fang made no move to reply. Instead he headed in the direction of the stairs. I went back to talking to my mom on the phone like I had been before Fang chastised me.

"We're trying to find the stairs now. Nobody seems to be on this floor anymore." I commented as we hastened down the desolate halls.

"Just keep watching. I don't want anyone sneaking up on you. Tulsin's ordering them to open up but nobody's complying. What's happening inside?" Mom asked.

"Aside from the alarms you hear?" I questioned. "We heard people running as soon as the alarm sounded. Once they'd moved on we left the storage room. We haven't seen anyone since then."

"They're all probably on their way to the main floor." Mom mused. "That doesn't mean that—"

"Max I think we're near the stairs," Fang whispered.

"Oh, mom, hang on. We're almost to the stairs." I said into the phone before slipping it into my pocket so I could grab my piece of PVC pipe, which I'd appropriated from the storage room, in both hands. Fang followed in suit.

My heart pounded furiously in my chest as Fang and I turned the last corner. At the end of the hallway stood a door unmistakably marked exit.

No body—Eraser, scientist, or estranged parent—was in sight.

Fang and I ran for the door, an air of excitement between us. We were almost _free_.

We were about two yards from the door when it burst outward with the force of a kick. Erasers flooded out.

Fang and I skidded to a stop in a fashion that I'm sure would look comical to any bystander. The Erasers paused for a moment as well, almost as if they were as stunned to see us as we were to see them.

Nobody moved for a moment. They stared at us, two wide eyed teenagers with PVC pipes for weapons, and them, five big, hulking Erasers armed with guns. My eyes lighted on the sleek black pieces of metal at their sides. I mentally calculated the odds of Fang and me getting even one good swing in before they were ready to bury us six feet under. The odds weren't good.

They seemed to realize that the moment that Fang and I did.

"Run!" Fang shouted. I threw my PVC pipe into the mass of Erasers, startling a snarl out of them, before turning on my heel and taking off in a dead run.

Fang kept close to my side as we raced around the corner and down the hall, Erasers yelling after us. I lost my footing at one point and fell flat on the ground. Fang stopped to help me, bending down just as a bullet passed over us. It would have hit him dead in the back if it had been a moment faster.

I scrambled to my feet and took off again, working hard to regain the two second head start we had our pursuers. We rounded another corner, shot past a panicking scientist, and continued on.

I hadn't realized what a labyrinth the floor was. It seemed as if as soon as we turned one corner another popped up. We had to be getting towards some stopping point, right? Then again, I didn't like the idea of being trapped by the Erasers either.

More shots rang out and I was suddenly thankful to have corners to duck around. At one point I felt a sharp stinging sensation along my temple but I ignored it, rounding another corner.

Suddenly something different loomed in our view. At the end of the hallway was a door labeled "Caution, Oxygen Line". Of course, no lab would be complete without a pure oxygen supply for its experiments.

The report of the gunshot rang just as I rounded the corner. There was the sound of metal hitting metal and then a great flash of light. My feet left the ground and suddenly I couldn't tell the floor from the ceiling. I braced myself for the inevitable impact and was surprised when it came. It hadn't hurt nearly as much as I'd anticipated.

Still, my body screamed in protest and I blinked against the bright spots in my eyes waiting for the world to stop spinning. My ears roared and my skin felt unusually warm.

The ground shifted underneath me. I clenched my eyes shut tightly in an attempt to calm my spinning head. It took me a moment to realize that it wasn't my head spinning but actual movement beneath me.

I looked down to see Fang underneath me, his mouth slightly open in a groan my roaring ears couldn't hear.

"Sorry!" I cried out, too loudly in an attempt to overcompensate for my compromised hearing, and scrambled off of him.

He sat up slowly, clutching his head. "Are you okay?" I asked.

"Dizzy." He shouted in return. "You?"

"Same." I looked down the hallway from the way we'd come and saw that it was now an inferno. Three Erasers crawled away from the flames, two didn't move at all. Their eyes settled on us as they released a snarl that even I could hear. "I think we should run now."

"Yeah." We scrambled to our feet—like a couple of drunks failing a field sobriety test—and stumbled away.

We made it to the corner and I was just about to groan at the fact that we'd need to go down yet another hallway when I stopped. This hallway dead-ended. The doors of the rooms were left open from where their occupants had evacuated when the lock down had commenced. I saw light coming through the fifth room down. Not fluorescent light, but natural light.

I hastened towards the door, Fang in tow. We slipped into the room and slammed the door shut, locking it quickly.

"That won't hold them for long." Fang said. "We need to barricade the door."

Five minutes and two filing cabinets, one table, a multitude of metal chairs, and a cart later we'd used every substantial piece of furniture in the room to block the door.

"Now what?" Fang asked as we backed away and inspected our work. Before now I hadn't had a chance to really look at Fang. As I watched him now I noticed that his dark hair had turned grey with plaster, and that his skin was coated in soot only interrupted by the occasional clear track from sweat droplets. His lip was split and blood had accumulated in the corner of his mouth. His chest heaved rapidly as he assessed the situation with a calm expression.

While I was sure I looked about the same as him right now I knew my expression was nowhere as calm as his. Already we could hear banging on the door—albeit a little weak. They'd taken a few blows from the explosion too. "If the Erasers don't get us, the fire will." He continued.

"Now, we call for help." I said as I reached for the phone in my pocket.

My hand came up empty.

"Where's the phone?" I demanded, my ears popping painfully as I gasped, patting all of my pockets in case I'd missed the phone.

No dice.

The phone was gone. Probably the first time I fell, let alone in the explosion.

I swore up a blue streak that left even Fang impressed.

Panicking, I ran towards the window. It was made up of double paned glass. It didn't open.

My heart had lodged itself in my throat by now and I couldn't talk around it. Fang came over to inspect the window.

I turned my back on his methodical examination with a groan and was confronted with yet another problem.

Smoke was slowly starting to seep its way into the room.

If we didn't get out of here in the next few minutes the room would become a gas chamber.

…**..**

"Uh, Fang?" I called. "If you're planning on doing anything macho with that window, I'd do it sooner rather than later if I were you."

"What do you mean?" Fang asked, turning around. He saw the wall of smoke building by the door and turned in circles, inspecting the room.

Finally he settled on taking one of the chairs piled by the door and bringing it to the window.

The chairs were deceptively heavy and I was doubting whether he'd be able to ram it into the window when he took it by its back and swung it at the window.

It didn't even crack.

He repeated his movements again.

And again.

And again.

I was just about to tell him to take a break, it would do us no good if he tapped himself out, when a fissure appeared in the glass after his last attempt.

"Keep going!" I urged him on, coming to stand just outside of the chairs range.

He nodded, wiped sweat from his forehead, and swung again. The break lengthened. One more attempt and suddenly glass shattered. Fang lost his grip on the chair and it went sailing through the window. We rushed to the edge and looked over.

Fifty feet below us the ground was swarming with activity. Red and blue lights flashed everywhere as people in black spread out around the facility, looking for a way in.

They all looked up as the chair crashed to the ground.

Fang and I waved our arms eagerly, attempting to show them where the chair had come from. If our smoke signals weren't giving us away already.

There were shouts from the ground—no one of them was distinguishable—until one very loud voice boomed from a megaphone.

"Max, Fang," Agent Tulsin called. "We're gonna get you out of there, just hold on."

The banging got louder behind us. The smoke was making my eyes burn and had made it difficult to see within the room. I spotted a spare lab coat on the ground—where I'd carelessly tossed it after removing it from the table—and went to grab it.

I wrapped it around my arm and carefully began to use it to clear the remaining glass from the empty windowpane.

As I brushed it outwards I realized that there was a ledge about a foot wide, running the length of the building, about five feet below the window.

I finished clearing the glass and discarded the coat.

The banging behind us grew significantly louder and suddenly there was the sound of wood shattering.

The yells of the Erasers permeated the smoke filled air as they pushed their way through our fortification and into the room.

"Hurry!" I screamed out the window. "They're almost in!"

Fang was already positioning himself between me and the Erasers, pushing me closer to the window.

On the ground I could see a flurry of activity as men dressed in firefighter uniforms raced to set up some sort of black canvas. What were they doing? We were out of time. Between the fire and the Erasers breaking into the room we were done for.

My gaze rested once again on the ledge suddenly so far down.

"Fang," I placed a hand on his shoulder. "Follow me."

"Follow you where?" He demanded, not taking his eyes off of the Erasers as they started pushing the wooden table back.

"Just trust me!"

And then I climbed out the window. I closed my eyes as my feet hung in mid-air for the scant seconds before my sneakers touched down on the stone ledge. Turning carefully I rested my back firmly against the stone exterior of the building and started scooting myself carefully away from the window.

"Max?" Fangs frantic voice cut through the air as his head popped out of the window, first looking down—no doubt for my bloody and broken body on the ground—and then to the left and right. He finally spotted me to his right. "What the hell?" He demanded, hanging further out of the window to get a better look at me. "Are you crazy?" He demanded.

"Well it's a hell of a lot safer out here then it is in there. Get out here."

He cast another glance downward at the assembly of law enforcement, all with their eyes trained on us, and then back at me.

He swore and muttered something about him having to be crazy to keep following me before he carefully lowered himself onto the ledge.

"See?" I said, breathily. "It's not so bad. We just need to move away from the window and—"

I lost my footing.

* * *

><p><strong>Why yes, I did end this chapter on yet <em>another <em>cliff hanger. Damn me. Oh well! I guess you'll just have to wait until next time to know what happens! Thank you all for the amazing reviews, I really do appreciate them. As usual, read and review!**

**Peace!**


	34. Chapter 34

**Disclaimer: James Patterson owns Maximum Ride. No copyright infringement intended.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 34<strong>

I screamed as the wind slipped by me and the ground rushed towards me. Falling to your death is supposed to be one of the most common fears people have. It has to do with our primal instinct. Like being afraid of the dark, because most bad things happen in the dark. Well bad things happen when you fall too.

I'd never put much stock in inborn fears but now I could. In fact, I'm pretty sure it overpowered my fear of dogs at the moment.

My stomach seemed to lodge itself in my throat as my legs frantically kicked out in an attempt to regain balance on a surface that was no longer beneath me. It was probably the worst feeling I've ever experienced in my life.

It only lasted about a second before my arm wrenched intolerably and my scream of terror morphed into one of extreme pain.

Heart pounding, I looked up to see that Fang grasped my right arm in his solid grip, his muscles straining under his torn up, singed, and stained, black shirt as he supported all of my weight. It's odd that I'd realize that little detail as my body hung in the air nearly fifty feet above the very hard, very deadly, ground.

Tears streamed off of my face and into the empty air below as the fire in my arm radiated through my body.

"Grab my arm with your other hand," Fang commanded through clenched teeth. A vein in his temple throbbed from the effort he was exerting.

Fang had been gripping the windowsill tightly with his other hand, keeping himself from falling off of the ledge, too. Now he carefully released his hold on it and reached his other hand down to grasp mine while still trying to maintain his balance. I obeyed his command; relieved when taking some of the weight off of my one arm alleviated some of the pain.

There was shouting below as the FBI helplessly watched my life hang in the wind.

"Now what?" I gasped, gripping Fangs arm so tightly that I'm positive he'd have bruises there tomorrow.

If we made it to tomorrow.

"Give me a minute." He panted in reply, his eyes flickering back and forth like a caged animal, taking in all aspects of the dismal situation.

I didn't think we had a minute. I doubted he could hold me for that long and I doubted I could hold _on _for that long. Already my grip was sliding down his forearms. Our fingers were now locked around each others wrists. We couldn't afford to slip any more.

"Alright, I'm going to try and swing you." He said at last, realizing that, while the ledge was a dangerous place, my current position was even more so. "Move your body with me and try and get your leg onto the ledge."

I nodded and he began to swing me.

_I don't know how hard this looks to everyone down there, _I thought, _but it's definitely harder than that._

Slowly Fangs swings began to gain momentum as I threw my body into the movements. I kicked my leg out and scraped the ledge. On the next swing my foot landed on the ledge but I then lost my hold on it and slipped back into the air with a jarring pull to my arms.

"Just keep trying," Fang called encouragingly.

_He_ was encouraging _me._ Seeing as he was the only person standing between me and a painful death I felt like that role should have been reversed. Never the less I kicked my foot out one last time and, when I managed to get it onto the ledge, I made sure it stayed there.

The swinging halted as I let go of Fangs hand—though he still gripped my other arm securely—and reached for purchase on the stone surface.

It was only after I had hauled myself onto the ledge that the shaking began. Fang let go of my arm and was suddenly there, crouching beside me. He pulled me into a bone crushing hug, one that I was sure was the only thing holding me together at that moment. My tears worked their way into sobs and I buried my face in his shoulder.

He rubbed my back comfortingly, saying soothing things like "it's alright", "you're safe now", and "I've got you".

"Are you two okay up there?" Tulsin's voice broke through my break down just as I managed to reduce the gut wrenching sobs to a slower hiccup.

"Yeah," Fang called over my head. I felt a strong urge to keep my head hidden in Fangs chest, both to hide the evidence of my weak crying—however justified it might have been—as well as to keep the comforting contact with him. However I took a deep breath and wiped my eyes, turning my head so I could see Tulsin's small figure where he stood next to the black canvas that the firemen were finishing set up.

It wasn't a canvas now, but something that resembled a giant blow up mattress.

"Okay, now here's what I need you to do," he called. "You guys are going to have to jump, one at a time, onto this mat." He called. "It's safe, I promise, the firefighters use it for situations like this."

"And people live?" I gasped, staring down at the contraption. It looked like a small square cloth laid out on a large expanse of parking lot. The thought of having to experience the feeling of freefalling again—and for a much longer period of time—had me shuddering and burrowing further into Fangs chest once again.

He stroked my hair comfortingly. "It will be alright." He said in a soothing tone. "We'll be fine."

"No," I gasped. "No, no, no, I'm not doing that again!"

"You're going to have to," he said, urgency lacing his voice. "We don't have much time before—"

_Crash!_

The sound of wood and metal grinding against each other was loud enough for Tulsin to hear on the ground. Light flashed in the empty window frame followed by a billowing of smoke. The three Erasers that had been banging at the door rushed to the window. They didn't see us below them. They were too busy trying to escape the smoke and fire. They'd been smart enough to tie ripped pieces of cloth over their noses and mouths but that did little against the strength of the acrid smoke.

"That," Fang muttered. "We don't have much time before _that_ happens."

"Now!" Tulsin yelled into the megaphone. The Erasers were starting to look around for us now.

"Do you trust me?" Fang asked, gripping my shoulders and forcing me to look at him.

"What?" I gasped at the sudden intensity of his words and the pain brought on by him touching my aching shoulder.

"Do you trust me?" He repeated, his eyes blazing with a sort of internal fire.

"What kind of stupid question is that?" I demanded. "Of course I trust you—ahhhhh"

My words morphed into an ear piercing shriek as Fang grabbed me around the waist and threw me off of the ledge.

My hair whipped my face with hundreds of stinging slaps as I fell, leaving my stomach on the ledge with Fang.

_Oh this won't end well!_ I thought, panicked. _What if I miss the mat? It's so small compared to the rest of the ground! Who's to say I'd even make it?_ _How long will it hurt if I miss it? Will I die on impact or would I live long enough to feel every bone in my body break?_ _What—_

My back slammed into the mat with enough force to knock the wind out of me and to make me see spots as I rolled on my bad shoulder.

Those dots solidified into a screen of darkness for a moment. I assume that I passed out because the next thing I knew there were firefighters and EMT's hovering over me.

"I'm okay," I gasped, trying to sit up.

They started to argue, trying to push me back down, saying something about broken bones, spine and neck injuries, and all of that fun stuff.

"Get me off of this damn thing so Fang can get down!" I finally screeched, panic making me more noncompliant than usual.

"Let her off," Tulsin said from somewhere to my right. The men in uniform backed away as I slowly sat up, griping my sore arm to keep it immobilized, and slid off of the air mat.

Agent Tulsin was there to catch me as my legs collapsed. He guided me to an ambulance that was parked a few yards away and settled me on the back of it.

"Just relax," he said soothingly. "You've done an amazing job. It's time to relax."

I knew he was trying to be supportive and kind but how the hell was I supposed to relax when I looked up fifty feet and saw a dark figure still balancing on the ledge while smoke and Erasers streamed out of the open window.

The Erasers were lowering themselves to the ledge in an attempt to escape the fire and get Fang. Fang, who had been forced to wait as I vacated the mat, had now been distracted by them.

"Fang!" I called. "Get your ass down here right now!" I screamed at him as the EMTs started to tend to my injuries.

He didn't hear me.

"Tulsin!" I yelled at him, even though he stood right beside me. "Tell him to jump! Is-is it me or is the smoke getting thicker?" I asked as I realized that the smoke was indeed darkening and getting thicker, it started carrying more ash and debris down to us than it had been before.

"Not good," Tulsin said in a clipped voice—one that held more understanding of the situation than he let on—before putting the megaphone to his lips and shouting "Fang, get down right now!"

Fang looked down and, realizing that the mat was now free, started to adjust himself so he could jump.

He was just about to jump when the building exploded.

* * *

><p><strong>You know, I think I <em>am <em>incapable of ending a chapter on a happy note. Oh well, more fun for me! Thank you guys so much for your reviews last chapter! 15 for one chapter, a new high for this story. And we've made it past 300 reviews! That's spectacular! Please read and review some more!**

**Peace!**


	35. Chapter 35

**Disclaimer: James Patterson owns Maximum Ride. No copyright infringement intended.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 35<strong>

An ear piercing shriek rose above the sounds of the explosion. It was the kind of shriek that came from a person whose world was crashing down around them.

I didn't even realize that I was the making it until my lungs ran out of air.

Fang and the three Erasers tumbled through the air as the side of the building burst outward in an explosion of stone, mortar, and fire.

Fang, having been about to jump, managed to get a little more distance between himself and the building. I couldn't watch as he came crashing to the earth. _This is all my fault, _I thought. _If he misses the mat then he'll die all because of me. Because I turned his life upside down in the matter of a week and he _still _saved me first. I can't watch._ Tears streaming down my face I turned my head aside and squeezed my eyes shut before he hit the ground.

Moments later all sounds aside from the _wooshing _of fire four stories above us broke off and I started to shutter with the force of my sobs.

_Fang's dead. _I thought. _That's why nobody's talking._

I'd never felt this way before. It was like the ground had fallen out from beneath me, not totally unlike the sensation of when I'd fallen off of the ledge, except then I'd known that the feeling would end eventually. Now? Well now I felt like I would be falling forever. No sense of what was up and what was down. Just...nothingness.

Without Fang I didn't know how I'd function. And I hadn't even realized until now how important he'd become to me.

"Max," Agent Tulsin said, shaking my good shoulder jarringly as he attempted to gain my attention. "Max, it's alright, he landed on the mat."

It took me a moment to process what he'd said. Then it was like my world snapped into focus again.

"What?" I gasped, my head snapping up and my eyes zoning in on the mat. Sure enough several EMTs were beginning to swarm it and the still figure in its center.

Several other FBI agents were starting to form circles around the broken forms of three Erasers who had not made it.

I was off the ambulance and sprinting to the mat before I was even aware of it.

"Move!" I shouted at the EMTs as I slammed into the rear of the crowd. "Move," I repeated again when they didn't listen to me. Still they didn't oblige. "Move your sorry asses before I make you!" I screamed at them, ignoring the pain in my shoulder as I started shoving my way through them.

They finally had the sense to move aside enough for me to scramble onto the mat and get to the immobile figure that was Fang.

He was covered in an assortment of fresh cuts and bruises. Dust clouded his night black hair. His eyes were closed.

"Fang!" I called to him, resting my hand on his cheek. He didn't respond. "Fang!" I called again, more desperately. Still no answer. I repeated my mantra as I moved my hand from his face to his shoulders, shaking him vigorously, my calling becoming shouting.

_He's fine, _my mind argued frantically_. He made it to the mat, just like you and you're alive. Fang has to be fine. If he's not…._

Panicked thoughts of my life without Fang had just started to creep their way into my mind when his eyelids fluttered. I brought my hand back to his cheek, resting it there as I waited eagerly for him to open his eyes.

Slowly his lids drew back and I could see his wonderful obsidian eyes.

"You asshole!" I gasped, slapping him across the face. His head snapped to the side with the force of the blow. I didn't even let him turn his head back on his own. Instead I guided his face back to me and crushed my lips to his.

Fang stiffened and I had a moment to worry that I had just made a complete fool of myself. Then his hand slipped to my lower back and he kissed me in return. My head spun as his lips moved with my own. The small jolt, somewhat like the feeling of an electrical shock, that I had gotten used to each time we touched intensified as I ran my hand through his hair, down his cheek, over his chest, making sure he was in one piece as we kissed. The kiss carried the salty taste of blood—either his lip or mine was bleeding—but I didn't care. All I focused on was the feeling of his soft yet resolute lips as they moved beneath my own.

I pulled away a moment later, tears still leaking down my face.

"If you ever throw me off of a building again I swear to God I'll fucking kill you." I whispered as I looked down at his face, very much alive and awake. I couldn't breathe, my relief was so breathtaking.

"That's not something normal people have to worry about saying." Fang observed, a smile playing on his lips.

"Since when am I normal?" I laughed breathlessly, running my fingers lightly over his now disarrayed, grey tinged hair.

Someone cleared their throat nearby.

"Are you two okay up there?" Tulsin called from the edge of the mat, a smile playing at the corner of his lips.

"Yeah," I called back, too filled with relief to care that everyone had just witnessed the moment between Fang and I. "We're alright."

…..

I winced as I slid off of the mat. Agent Tulsin was there to steady me as I stumbled. I thanked him and limped aside as he made sure Fang dismounted without preforming a face plant.

"You two are lucky to be alive." He informed us as we were corralled towards the ambulance. I stood aside as the EMTs focused on Fang. One of them gave me a cool cloth to hold to my split lip.

"Luck maybe, but most of it was extremely awesome quick thinking." I argued as I watched the EMT struggle to get Fang to cooperate with them. They were trying to get him to lay down on the gurney but he was having none of that. He just fixed them with a glare until they gave up and tried their best to patch up the worst of his injuries. We were both informed that we would need a full examination, including x-rays, at the hospital. They did insist that we both sit and put on oxygen masks after our exposure to the smoke.

"Quick thinking yes, but you put yourselves in a situation that could have been avoided if you had just waited for us." He berated, focusing the bulk of his lecture on me.

"Yes, but the cops are limited by the law on what they can and can't do. Fang and I, as two civilians, were able to gather information while at the same time providing you with an excuse to legally obtain incriminating evidence. And since you didn't influence my decisions whatsoever it's all admissible in court." I shot back, removing the oxygen mask to speak. An EMT glared at me so I quickly replaced it after I finished. I saw Fang smiling through his mask.

Agent Tulsin was shaking his head, an exasperated expression playing across his face. "Max, have you ever thought about law enforcement as a career?" He asked me. "All of your convoluted reasoning screams of a prospective lawyer."

"A desk jockey?" I crinkled my nose in disgust.

"No. That kind of reasoning would do you just as good as an agent. If you ever want a job in the FBI, put me down as a reference."

I was just about to respond when my name rang through the air.

"Max!"

I looked up to see my parents pushing through a barricade of FBI agents and come running towards me.

I ditched my oxygen mask and met them half way.

"Oh Max!" My mother cried as she flung her arms around me, pulling me to her in an unbreakable embrace. I would never have wanted to break it if I could have. I felt my father's arms wrap around the both of us and I returned their hug. "Max. Max. Max. Max." My mother repeated into my hair, punctuating each repeat of my name with a kiss to my head.

"I love you guys," I cried into my mother's shoulder. I actually cried. After everything I'd been through these past few days it seemed as if I'd never get to see my parents again. Being held by them after all of that broke through my barriers and had my sobbing into my mother's shoulder like I was five and had just woken up from a nightmare. Only this time, the nightmare had been real. "I love you guys so much."

"We love you too, honey." Dad whispered, stroking my hair.

They pulled away after a moment and I took the opportunity to wipe away my tears. Over my mother's shoulder I saw Fang talking to Marcy. She kept touching his arm, his face, his hair, as if to make sure it was really him, that he was really there.

I turned my attention back to my parents as I felt my mother's soft touch on my bruised cheek.

"Oh baby," she whispered, "what happened to you?"

"A lot," I responded with a half laugh, half sob. "So fricken much. I'm sorry I left. I'm sorry I lied. I just—I just wanted to figure things out. I didn't—I didn't want to believe that the people who _made _me were as bad as the police were saying."

"Honey—"

"Mom, please let me finish." I interrupted, holding up my hand to stop her. "Please…I have to get this out." She and my father stayed silent. I took this as encouragement to continue. "I'm _so_ sorry about the thing that I said to you. I was confused, and mad, and…just not thinking at all. All I could see was that you guys lied to me, not that you loved me or that you treated me like your own daughter. I didn't stop for one minute to realize that, DNA or no, I _was _your daughter.

"I just wanted to prove the police wrong. I wanted to prove that my birth parents were innocent because…because if I proved them innocent then I didn't have to worry that I had something evil inside of me. And I wanted to know why I wasn't good enough for them. I had so many questions that nobody else could answer.

"And then we got to the School and everything that the police had said was true. Worse. It was so much worse to see it, to have an image to put with the words. And then I couldn't go home." My voice broke as I remembered how desperately I had wanted to go home and be coddled by my mother after my first exposure to the Erasers. "They knew who I was. If I had gone home…I'd put you two and Ella and Nudge at risk of being hurt. So I led them away from you guys. I—we tried to get enough proof to stop everything they were doing. And it just got bigger and bigger until I ended up jumping out of a window a few minutes ago.

"And the worst part out of all of it was that I dragged Fang into it. And then Nudge and Iggy got involved. I put so many people in danger because I had to prove to myself that I wasn't made up of bad people. And if there's one thing that I've learned out of this whole mess it's that it doesn't _matter_. It doesn't matter who makes up my DNA. What matters is who raised me. Who influenced my life. Who taught me right from wrong. Who was my role model, the person I've always aspired to be. And it's you two. I love you guys so much and I hope that you can forgive me." I was sobbing even harder at the end of my monologue then at the beginning.

My mother, who may have been sobbing harder than I was, pulled me to her once again. "There's nothing to forgive, baby. We're just happy you're safe."

"You _are _our daughter." Dad said. "You always have been, and you always will be."

* * *

><p><strong>*Gasp in shock* <em>What<em>? No cliffhanger? An actual happy ending? What the hell is wrong with NightWrighter511 today? The answer is nothing! I'm as happy as a clam because Fang and Max finally KISSED! Dear lord I've been hanging on to that little nugget of happiness for chapters now! Let me know what you thought! We're not quite done yet but we're getting close! I think there's only one more chapter and an epilogue! 21 reviews last chapter! Well, how many can I get for finally having them kiss? Think I can get 25? We'll find out! Read and review!**

**Peace!**


	36. Chapter 36

**Disclaimer: James Patterson owns Maximum Ride. No copyright infringement intended.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 36<strong>

We all watched as Agent Tulsin and two other agents escorted my biological parents to the waiting police car in handcuffs. Their white coats were singed in a few places and they had accumulated a few cuts of their own. Jeb's glasses were cracked and sitting askew and Anne's perfect hair was ruffled. They both scowled in my direction as they ducked into the squad car.

The next time I would see them, they would be sentenced to life in prison without parole.

The firefighters had contained the fire to the fourth floor which had been nothing more than a storage floor so, other than a few Erasers, no lives were lost. About a dozen scientists had escaped but the rest were rounded up and arrested.

I was sitting with my parents, Fang, and Marcy when Agent Tulsin approached me once again.

"Alright Max," he said, "you've taken the lead on this investigation so far, I think it's only proper for you to see it through."

I raised an eyebrow. "Is that your subtle way of saying that you need me to show you guys where the experiments are?"

His mouth twitched downwards at the corner. "Possibly." I shared a smirk with Fang before nodding and standing up, clutching a blanket tightly around my shoulders. Night was falling and a cool wind had picked up. After my prolonged exposure to the intense heat of the fire even the slight Florida breeze had me shivering. Fang stood up as well, clutching a similar grey blanket around himself. Agent Tulsin didn't even argue when our parents got up to follow us. After everything we'd been through they didn't want to let us out of their sights.

"You'll need one of the scientists permitted to work in the lab." I informed him. "You'll have noticed the fingerprint scanner by now."

He nodded. "We were hoping you could point one out."

"You know they aren't going to be very compliant." I said as I headed over to a group of squad cars that contained the captured scientists.

"We're willing to negotiate a little bit." He admitted. "We can't let those experiment's die in there. They're people…or at least they were at one point."

I gained a new respect for Agent Tulsin in that moment.

"I think I know just the guy," I admitted.

It took ten minutes to locate the old man. He flinched when an officer pulled him from his squad car and set him in front of me.

"I'm not as mean as Anne," I assured him, hoping he'd understand that there was no reason to flinch in fear of me. "I want to make a deal with you."

He shook his head. "I'm not getting involved in any deal with the police. If I'm a turn coat they'll get me in prison. This whole operation is bigger than you think." He cowered.

I raised an eyebrow. "Maybe we can help you with that." I said, trying not to process the thought of this operation spreading further than we'd already seen. "I'm willing to bet that if you help us get to those experiments and give us information on just how big Itex is then you won't have to worry about being attacked in prison. Agent Tulsin's already informed me that he's willing to negotiate." I looked at the Agent and he nodded in agreement. When the old man didn't make a move to respond I added, "Of course, if you're too afraid to take the offer I'm sure there's another scientist here who'd be willing to sell you out." I started to turn away.

"Wait!" He gasped. I turned and raised an eyebrow. "Alright, fine. I'll do it."

"Excellent." I clapped my hands together. "Now, come with us."

…

The FBI agents stood frozen in the doorway of the lab. Fang and I had moved inside of the door, holding the old man between us, as we waited for them to take action. None of them did. They all just stared in horror, taking in the view of hundreds of childish faces, some disfigured, some incredibly beautiful, and some normal, pressed up against the bars of their cages. Our parents stood with them, viewing the monstrosity with a mixture of pity and nausea on their faces.

I glanced at Fang to see if he had any idea of what to do. He shrugged, wincing as his injuries pulled.

The lab was untouched by the fire on the floor above. The room seemed to be reinforced with nonflammable building materials. The inside, however, was a mess. What had been a pristine workplace a few hours ago was now spoiled by broken glass, abandoned chemical concoctions, and spilled chemicals. The only thing that the scientists had taken care to do as they evacuated was to put the experiment's away.

After a few minutes of waiting for someone to move I realized that the ball was in my court and _I'd_ have to make the first move.

"Where are the keys to the cages?" I asked the old man. He pulled a key ring off of his belt.

"They're all unlocked by a master key that only a dozen scientists have." He explained, selecting a large silver key and handing it to me. I took it and, after making sure that Fang had a tight grip on the prisoner, headed over to the cages. I stopped in front of the cage that held the young bird girl I'd seen on my earlier visit to the lab. She was pressed up against the bars, her talon-like hands clutching them tightly, her hollow eyes wary but hopeful. She scooted into the back of her cage and curled up as I fitted the key into the lock of her cage and opened it.

"Don't be afraid." I called to her softly. "I'm not going to hurt you. I want to help…we all want to help." I reached my hand out for her, egging her forward. It took some time but oh so slowly she uncurled herself and reached a tentative hand out to my own. I showed no sign of pain as her talons cut my palm and waited for her to scoot forward some before closing my fingers around her small wrist and pulling her to the front of the cage. She started to resist, her eyes getting a wild look as I held her wrist. I started cooing to her in soothing words, assuring her that I just wanted to get her out of the cage while I froze in my movements to move her. When she finally relaxed again I reached up my other arm, ignoring the pain in my shoulder, and lifted her from the cage.

She was feather light, no pun intended. Lighter then she should have been for a four year old, which is about what I suspected her to be. The feathers that covered her head looked like a baby chicks, a soft brown color that I had to fight the urge to touch. Her eyes were like a hawks, her talons sharp. But the rest of her was painfully human. I tried to set her on the ground but she refused, gripping my shirt tightly until I gave up and settled her onto my hip with a wince.

"I'm not going to hurt you," I repeated in a soft voice. "We're here to help you. Nobody will hurt you ever again." I gave in to the urge to touch her feathers. They were downy soft. "I'm Max," I said. "Do you have a name? Can you speak?"

She made a soft sound, deep in her throat, like she was trying to answer but couldn't quite figure out how to speak. "It's alright." I assured her. "Take your time."

She worked her jaw, swallowing and taking in large breaths of air. I was about to give up under the pretense that she couldn't speak. I started to turn towards the rest of the recovery team when she spoke, stopping me dead in my tracks.

"Dove," she said. "My name is Dove."

I felt my eyes widen at the voice that came from her mouth. It was soft and childish, but almost like the coo of a dove. My eyes darted to the rest of my entourage who stared immobilized at the child with wide eyes.

"Dove," I said in an attempt to recover. "That's a beautiful name. It suits you. Do you want to meet my friends, Dove?" I started walking towards the others.

She shook her head vigorously and hid her face in my hair.

"It's alright," I repeated. "We're here to help. We're going to get you out of here."

I stopped in front of Agent Tulsin.

"Dove, this is Agent Tulsin. Agent Tulsin, I'd like you to meet Dove." I gave him a meaningful stare.

He cleared his throat. "It's nice to meet you Dove." He said, holding out his hand towards her. Dove peeked at him through my hair.

"Go on," I encouraged her. She gripped my arm painfully with one hand while she reached the other out to Agent Tulsin. To his credit he didn't flinch at the sight of her talons nor at the scratches they gave him.

"It's nice to meet you." She cooed. "Are you going to let my friends out too?" She asked, fully emerging from my hair at last.

"Yes," Agent Tulsin's voice broke and I saw a tear escape the corner of his eye. "We are."

….

It took hours to document everything in the lab, take pictures, and coax all of the experiments out of their cages. My parents, Marcy, and surprisingly Fang were all very good at convincing the experiments to leave their cages. Dove stayed glued to my side, helping me convince several of the more scared experiments out of their cages. She talked to them in some sort of made up language that I figured they'd created to converse around the scientists without being understood. After she spoke to them like that they usually allowed me to take them out of the cages.

Buses were brought in to transport the experiments from Itex the FBI headquarters in Miami. What would happen after they got there was unknown as of yet but I had Agent Tulsin's personal promise that they would not be harmed. I knew that after this experience I'd never be able to go about a normal life. I'd always be wondering what was happening with the experiments, how to help them, how many more were out there or still being made.

When the final few experiments were out of their cages we—being me, Fang and our families—accompanied them on the final bus from Itex. I don't remember much of the ride. Dove fell asleep on my lap and I fell asleep against my father's shoulder.

When I woke up it was because an agent had tried to take Dove off of my lap and she had dug her talons into my sides. I screamed, which made an already frantic Dove scream in terror and dig her talons in deeper.

I scowled at the agent until she backed off and soothed Dove until she eased her grip. "We need all of the experiments inside." The agent informed me. "You're to be taken to the hospital for an examination."

"No, no, no, no, no." Dove was repeating as she clung to me. I rubbed her back soothingly as I informed the agent that I would not be leaving Dove.

"But—"

"No," I snapped before disembarking the bus and entering a world of mayhem. The agents didn't know what to do, that much was clear. They were herding the experiments into an auditorium of sorts but they didn't know how to control them or what to even do with them.

Fang stepped up beside me. "This is crazy," he said.

I watched the agents interact with the experiments. They kept them at arm's length, like they were afraid they would be attacked. I felt my throat close in disgust.

"They're treating them as animals, not as beings with human comprehension." I complained, searching for Tulsin. I spotted him by the door and headed towards him, Fang following closely behind me.

"Tulsin." I called as I neared him.

"You're supposed to be going to the hospital." He chastised me, wading through the experiments to reach me.

"And you're supposed to be in control here. What the hell do you think you're doing with all of them?" I demanded.

"Well we don't exactly have a protocol for this. We—"

"Your agents are treating them like they are animals." I snapped. "They are smart. Talk to them. They will understand. As for a protocol, what are you supposed to do if you raid a human trafficking ring?" I demanded. "You get a bunch of kids that need to get away from a bad situation. What do you do with them?" I demanded.

"We put them in foster care but—"

"Exactly!" I cut him off again. "Treat them as children. Find a place to house them, even if it's within the building. Give them food, water, clothes, toys, they'll be content until you figure out your next move but for now," I gestured towards one of his agents, a man who was watching the experiments with one hand on his gun. "Stop treating them like fucking wild animals."

"Hungry." Dove agreed from at my side. I shifted her to my other hip.

"See?"

Tulsin shook his head. "We need you on the force, Max." He sighed as he headed into the now full auditorium.

Fang and I followed.

"What do you think they'll do with all of them?" Fang asked me as we went to stand in the back of the room by our parents.

I shrugged the shoulder that Dove wasn't dozing on. "The best thing they could do would be to build a sort of group home for them. Out in the country with a lot of land so that they don't have to worry about curious people wanting to experiment on them. A place where they can be with others like them and have no judgment. Where they can go to school if they want and live a free life. If they were smart, that's what they'd do." I sighed, realizing that the likelihood of my vision coming true was slim to none.

Fang slipped his hand into mine, lacing his fingers with my own. "It seems like you are the only one who truly understands what needs to be done." He said with a soft expression. "Whatever crazy stunt you plan on pulling next, count me in."

…..

Three broken ribs, a fractured clavicle, and a shattered heart later I was on my way back to Montana with my family and Fang. I'd had to say goodbye to Dove at the FBI headquarters in Miami. She'd cried and begged me to stay but after four days of writing up reports, being interviewed, and dealing with the dilemma of where to put the experiments, it was time for us to go home. When I'd explained that I couldn't stay she'd begged to go with me. I'd had to say no and she'd clung to me until Agent Tulsin pried her away.

I'd promised the little four year old that I'd visit and I'd call her all of the time but for a small child who had never had anyone keep their promise to her she was hardly about to start trusting people now.

"She'll be fine, Max." Mom assured me as she patted my hand. We were on a plane flying first class—courtesy of the FBI—and I was sulking in my seat as I stared out the window. "She's a child, she'll cry but she'll get over it. You can call her when we land to prove that you'll stay in touch."

"I don't know I just…it's not just Dove. I mean, she's a big part of it but I don't feel right leaving all of the experiments like that. The FBI still doesn't know what they're going to do with them and I feel like I've just abandoned them. I feel like I could do more for them." I thought back to the plan I had for them. I'd told Tulsin about it and he'd thought it was a great idea but, while he'd said he'd suggest it as a solution, there was only a small chance of it happening.

What other alternative could they come up with?

"You've done so much for them already, Max." Marcy said from the row in front of me. "You got the people responsible for putting them in cages in cages of their own. You freed them from day after day of experimentation. You've given them a shot at life. That's no small feat."

"I guess," I sighed. "I just don't know how I'm going to go back to normal life after all of this."

"You won't." Fang said, coming to sit beside me. "You'll always be thinking about them and you'll always want to do something to help them." He said in his usual blunt tact. "But you'll also be able to do things for yourself again. Without the life threatening situations."

"I don't know," I said with a playful smirk, switching gears in an attempt to bring myself out of my depressing mood. "I think the risk was half the reason you liked me to begin with." Our parents turned to a conversation of their own, leaving us to talk alone for the first time in days.

"Is that what you think?" He said, matching my smirk with one of his own as he leaned closer to me. "Because, if I do recall, I never said I liked you. You're the one who kissed me."

"You kissed me back." I pointed out, leaning closer as well.

"Hard not to, when you kiss me like that."

"Like what?" I whispered. "Like I was grateful you were alive after jumping out of an exploding building because now I can kill you for _pushing _me off of a building? Or like I'm grateful you're alive after jumping out of an exploding building because I really care about you?"

"Mmmmm, a little bit of both." He admitted, his lips a scant inch from my own.

"Well what's your excuse now?" I asked as I pressed our lips together. His response was only to pull me as close as the seats would allow as he kissed me senseless.

* * *

><p><strong>Last official chapter! Oh my god, its at this point in every story I write that the realization that the story, the world, I have created from my imagination is about to end. Even though I still have an epilogue left this is where I start getting a little teary-eyed. Please read and review!<strong>

**Peace!**


	37. Chapter 37

**Disclaimer: James Patterson owns Maximum Ride. No copyright infringement intended.**

* * *

><p><strong>Epilogue<strong>

"Dove, can you show Chris and Evan around?" I asked, gesturing to the two small boys that sat on the chairs in front of my desk. As I gestured to them one of the boys, Evan, skin started to change until it took on the exact pattern of the chairs upholstery. The other boy, Chris, smiled at Dove, exposing the sharp teeth of an alligator that matched his scaly tail. Both of them were about six years old.

"Alright Max," The ten year old said as she headed out the door, the two boys following her like puppy dogs.

"And don't forget, Iggy will have dinner ready in an hour!" I called after her. She made a noncommittal sound in response. I sighed as I watched her go. It was hard to believe that only six years ago she'd cowered in the back of a cage, afraid of contact with any other being. Now she was one of the most social kids in the center.

I finished filling out and putting away paperwork for the new arrivals and headed upstairs to check on the kids.

For the past two years I had been in charge of The Nest. It was my vision from so many years ago come true. After my whole experience the summer after graduation I had been unable to get back on track with environmental science as my major in college. Don't get me wrong, I still love all of the environmental stuff but after seeing what some scientists could do I'd decided I didn't want the title. What I did want was to bring down the people who gave scientists a bad name. So I'd taken Agent Tulsin up on his offer to apply to the FBI. I'd spent four years going through the required college courses and Academy training to become a full time FBI agent and I'd finally achieved my goal on my twenty-second birthday. As my first assignment I was put in charge of The Nest, named so by Dove when it was first opened a year after Itex was taken down because it was a place for her, and people like her, to live. She found the word 'home' synonymous to the word 'nest' because of her birdlike tendencies. The name had stuck.

The Nest wasn't my only assignment, however. My time was divided between running The Nest and working with Nudge as we went through the computers collected on raids of different branches of Itex. She hacked the computers and traced the information to new locations and I took that information and led the raids on the facilities.

Since the FBI had first started tracking down Itex branches six years ago they'd located sixteen different facilities. Eight of them had been in the past two years with me and Nudge spear pointing it.

Over one thousand experiments had been recovered from those raids. The ones that were lucky enough to have viable genetic combinations came to live at The Nest or other facilities similar to it. The Nest was located in Virginia and housed almost three hundred experiments. The staff was made up of fifty people, a mixture of FBI agents and social workers.

Over the past three years the public had become aware of the experiments, naming them, as I once falsely had, mutants. The term 'mutant' wasn't incorrect, it was just impersonal. While I called them experiments now I viewed them, as I had since I'd met Dove, as children. Kids with different looks. The way I see it is that some kids have blond hair, some kids have big noses, some kids are short. Well, some experiments have tails, some have scales, and some can fly. At the end of the day, they're all kids and should be treated as such.

The public had been in an uproar about them. They wanted to know what they were capable of, if they were dangerous, what we were doing with them. Many people just wanted them gone because they were different. Dove had become a sort of spokesperson for the experiments, showing the public that they were harmless kids who had bad things done to them. The public had been informed that there were special facilities that housed the experiments and that they were of no threat to them and so far things had been relatively quiet, though the locations of The Nest and other facilities were still kept under wraps. Only time will tell what will happen though, the number of experiments in existence are far more numerous than anyone had ever guessed.

Dozens upon dozens of branches of Itex were still out there and more popped up every day. At that rate we would never be completely rid of experiments, not that I wanted to be. They were my life, my children. I couldn't imagine waking up every morning and not being greeted with problems like "Angie won't fly down from the tree" or "Jake's been under water for two hours now and won't clean up his room". I just couldn't.

When I got upstairs I conducted my usual bedroom checks. Some of the kids, especially after hanging out with Gazzy, tended to have questionable objects in their rooms that I confiscated to be on the safe side. Gazzy, who visited often with Angel and Marcy, called me a kill joy. Whenever he did that I reminded him who it was that carried the gun around here. That usually shut him up.

The rooms were clean tonight; most of them empty as well as the kids took advantage of the first warm day in weeks by spending it out by the lake.

I decided now would be as good a time as any to get some pictures of the kids enjoying themselves. Mom and Dad and Ella were constantly asking for new pictures of everyone. They couldn't make it down here very often. Ella was attending MIT like the brainic she was, and Mom and Dad stayed home complaining that their nest was empty and they needed pictures to live vicariously through.

I headed downstairs to my room to grab my camera. I unlocked the door—a necessary evil when you had three hundred kids running around trying to get into your personal belongings, not that it stopped Iggy or his disciple's at times—and headed straight for the dresser where my camera rested. I unplugged the battery from the charger and was just sliding it into place when a voice shattered the silence around me.

"You know, when your husband comes back from a three week case it is usually customary to at least welcome him."

I jumped about a foot in the air and dropped the camera onto the dresser. I spun around and saw Fang reclining on our bed, his arms behind his head, the picture of ease.

I couldn't stop the smile that broke across my face.

"Yeah well it isn't customary to scare the crap out of your wife yet you seem to do it every time." I retorted.

He shrugged. "I make my own customs."

"Well so do I. Now, are you going to just lay there or are you going to come greet me properly?" I demanded, crossing my arms in mock annoyance.

Fang just smirked his signature smirk, the one that hadn't changed since the first day I'd met him in the lunch room during senior year, and pushed off of the bed to come stand in front of me.

"I've missed you." He said as he wrapped his arms around me.

"Yeah well, I haven't missed your quiet tendencies." I grumbled, making a show of my annoyance when I was really overjoyed to see him. Fang and I usually worked together on taking out the different branches of Itex but extenuating circumstances had made me miss the most recent raid. I pulled away from Fangs embrace in order to crush my lips to his.

We'd been together for six years but I still never got tired of kissing him. The feelings that he invoked in me, the mixture of excitement, confusion, happiness, want, and love were so singularly entreated by him and him alone that it still felt like electricity every time we touched.

He pulled away and pressed a kiss to my forehead. "I love you," he whispered.

"Mmmm, I love you too." I replied, resting my head against his chest, simply enjoying being near him. Fang clasped my hand in his, gently twisting the wedding band he'd put on my finger over a year ago.

"I'll never forget the day you agreed to marry me," he whispered into my hair, sending shivers down my spine.

"Was there ever any doubt that I'd say yes?" I asked. Because after four years of dating I'd wanted nothing more than to be with him forever and to let every woman out there know it. I'd made my feelings pretty obvious too, yet it had been a big surprise to me when he'd proposed on the day we'd graduated college.

"Not really," he admitted. "But there's a big difference between assuming and actually hearing it."

"Well, just so you know," I stretched up on my tip toes to place a kiss on the corner of his mouth. "There was never any doubt."

I had never felt hesitant for a moment. Not when I'd said 'yes', and not when I'd said 'I do'. In fact, the most hesitation that had come out of the entire experience was allowing Nudge and Ella to be in charge of organizing the wedding. It had definitely turned into a much bigger affair than I'd anticipated. Of course, when everyone you've ever worked with at the FBI plus almost every experiment you've ever saved are in attendance, then it turns into a very big event.

"I guess that's a good thing. I wouldn't want you to be having second thoughts. Especially now." He grinned, placing his hand over the slight swell of my belly.

I felt butterflies erupt in my stomach as he placed his hand over our growing child. I was only three months along but I still couldn't wait to meet our baby. I hoped it had its father's eyes. I got lost in those eyes every time I looked at him and I wanted them to live on in our child.

"Well then you'll find it very reassuring when I tell you that I've never loved you more than I do now." I told him.

He leaned in to kiss me again.

The dinner bell tolled, cutting our kiss short.

"I'm gonna kill Iggy," Fang muttered under his breath.

I laughed. "Don't do that. Then who would feed us?" I asked. "Now come on. I'm hungry."

"When are you not?" He teased as he allowed me to drag him out of the room.

"Don't go there with me. I'm eating for two."

"Now. What was your excuse last year? Or the year before that? Or the year befor—"

"Quite while your ahead, lover boy." I said mutinously.

"—e that?" he asked. He smirked at me. "You have to catch me before you kill me." He said, kissing me swiftly on the cheek before taking off down the hallway.

I couldn't help but laugh at his childish behavior. He'd loosened up some since our summer from hell six years ago. He'd been so quiet and sullen back then. Sometimes I don't think I'm the only one who figured out who they were on that trip. Fang learned a few things about himself too. The most important thing he learned, or so he always tells me, is that life is too short to not live it the way you want.

Me? Well I learned a few things, but most importantly I learned that your parents don't define who you are, that nobody can tell you who you are. Because, you are who you want to be.

* * *

><p><strong>And there's my moral of the story! :) I hope you liked it. I couldn't resist adding as much Fax fluffiness in there as I could. But if you read it carefully you'll see where every important character ended up in life. I also hope that its obvious from this epilogue that I won't be doing any sequel for this story. I'm very happy with where I left it (at over 200 pages on microsoft word). I really hope you all enjoyed the story and thank you for sticking with it! I have another idea for a story and its...surprise surprise...also about some sort of identity crisis. I think I have problems...anyway. Keep a look out for it. CHECK MY BLOG (the URL is on my profile!) ! I hope to post it sometime in late July (I want to plan it out before I post anything) but I'll keep you updated on my blog and maybe give you some previews. Please do me a favor and review on this last chapter. I want to know what you liked about this story, what you didn't like, and how you think I can improve my writing in the future! Also, anyone interested in making fan art for my stories (as I've had a few great images already shown to me) I'm flattered and if you send me the image I'll pick one for the story cover and post them all on my blog!<strong>

**Peace!**

**NightWrighter511**


	38. New Story

So its been six months since I ended this story. When I ended it I had mentioned publishing a new story in the near future. Well, you all know how I am about posting a new story. 'Near future' translates to 'six months'. What can I say? The struggles of a perfectionist. Anyway, as promised, I did write a new story. Check it out!

Fighting For a Place in This World

_Maximum Batchelder's life has been turned upside down. A native of the New York City streets Max has spent the last five years of her life keeping herself and her friend alive. The world is cruel, especially to a couple of street kids, but Max has found a place she fits in: street fighting. Of course, it only takes one night to change everything. Now Max must reinvent herself in a new city, with a new name, and no history. Of course, what else is expected from someone in Witness Protection?_

I hope to hear from you guys soon! Happy New Year!

Peace!

NightWrighter511


End file.
